He's Not the Best, But He's All That I Know
by QueenofOld
Summary: Marie and Logan can't help but fall back into each others arms and beds over and over again...despite the fact that they know they're no good for each other. Watch as they attempt to endure age differences, betrayal and guilt.
1. Chapter 1

**Important Author's Note: **  
**I'm giving all of you a special homework assignment. Go to YouTube and search for the song "Again" by a singer named John Legend. Listen carefully to words. The song came up on my playlist in the car the other day and it suddenly clicked that it perfectly described the type of relationship that I imagine Logan and Marie would have. This is the first time that I will be including song verses in a fic, so you know it had to be pretty meaningful!**

**Story Takes place after X Men 1.**

* * *

Logan came and went for two years after their initial arrival at the X Mansion.

When the professor really needed him for a mission, he contacted him via Cerebro and sent the jet for him.

His stints at the mansion were never longer than a couple of weeks at a time, but while he was there, he watched her.

They didn't speak much, but he spent his time watching over her as she talked to friends, played foosball in the rec room or sat in class.

He wanted to make sure she was settled...happy even.

When he made the promise to look out for her two years prior, he took it seriously. Logan had never promised anyone anything...until that night on the train while he held her crying in his arms.

That night on the train, he was prepared to fight for her...to lay down his life for her...and that hadn't changed.

At first, he was confused about his feelings towards the girl. She was a strange creature.

Most young girls, mutant or not, were afraid of the Wolverine after one look at him...let alone after seeing the claws that protruded from his knuckles. But this girl actually stowed away in the back of his trailer in an attempt to hitch a ride with him.

After that, she challenged him, questioned him, made fun of his name, attempted to start up small talk, then tried to tell him what to do.

She wasn't afraid of him at all, and that intrigued him.

**Marie.**

He remembered the first time they told each other their names the same way other people remembered their first kiss or their first date.

There was a definite spark of intimacy in that moment, and it shocked him that it had nothing at all to do with sex. Well...not at the time.

He didn't realize his strong desire to protect her had evolved into something more until one of his visits a few months ago.

Logan had been sitting on one of the second floor balconies overlooking the front lawn of the mansion, watching her play frisbee with some of the other students.

He watched as she jumped into the air in an attempt to catch the frisbee, then land oddly on her left ankle and crumple to the ground. No sooner had she yelped in pain did he grab a hold of the drainage pipe beside the balcony and slide down to the ground before running to her aid.

When he reached her side, her ankle was already swollen. The kids had gathered around, but none wanted to touch her...the girl with the poisonous skin.

He reached to touch the injured ankle, but she jumped and hissed, "Logan! No! Your hands!"

Logan was surprised that, even in her state of pain, she was more concerned about his well being than anything else.

"It looks like a nasty sprain. I'll get ya inside", he said as he effortlessly, and fearlessly hoisted her into his arms and carried her into the mansion.

He felt her nervously shake in his arms and quirked a brow as he walked, "Are you cold, kid?"

Marie shook her head, "I'm scared I'm gonna accidentally touch you."

As they boarded the elevator, he started to say something, but shook his head. She noticed and cocked her head to the side, "What is it?"

"Nothin'."

Marie let out an exasperated breath, "Spit it out, Wolverine."

"The professor's been working with you for over a year...and the most you've been able to manage is a quick hand shake. I think you can't touch because you're constantly afraid of it...ever think that that might be the key to your powers? Just let go of your fear and see if that can help you unlock your control."

By now, he was setting her down on an examination table in the med lab as she stared at him thoughtfully, "Thanks..."

"Don't mention it...I'll see if Jean's around so she can take a look at that ankle."

"Alright...see ya around...and thanks again..."

He gave a nod as he left the room.

The following night, he knocked on her door.

"Come in", she called from inside, prompting him to open her door and step in.

Marie was sitting up on the bed with her bandaged ankle propped up on a pillow. Surprisingly, she was gloveless...in fact, she was "less" quite a lot. All she wore was a tank top and extremely short shorts.

He almost forgot how to talk. He'd never seen her show off so much skin before. He suddenly found himself angry at her mutation. It forced her to cover up all of _THIS_...

"Hey Logan. What are you doin' here?", she said with a bright smile.

"Hey kid. I was just checkin' on you...er...your ankle...I just wanted to see you...er...how your ankle was doing."

Logan was relieved when the sentence finally ended and he was able to shut his pie hole. He knew he must have sounded like a bumbling idiot, but who could blame him?

Marie's cleavage and thighs were staring him directly in the face. This was flesh he'd never seen before...and it was amazing.

The feelings that were flooding his brain weren't normally reserved for Marie...these feelings were usually reserved for random bimbos he wanted to bang...or Jean. Not his precious Marie.

She was just a girl.

She was forbidden fruit.

But by the looks of her pert breasts and creamy thighs, he could guess that that fruit tasted damn good.

"Well thanks, darlin'...I'm alright. It's just like you guessed. A nasty sprain."

Logan gave a nod, "Good to know. Right. Well, it's been two hours since my last beer so..."

He turned to leave, but stopped when she called his name.

"Logan."

Logan turned back around, "Yeah?"

Marie nervously, and absentmindedly, rubbed her thigh, drawing further attention toward the sumptuous slab of skin as she looked down, "I thought about what you said...about letting go of my fear...and I think you might be on to something..."

He gave a nod, "You should talk to the professor about it, kid."

"I will. I just want to try to live a normal life one day...I wanna hug someone without them bein' afraid I'll kill 'em."

He shoved his hands in his pockets, "I'm not afraid when you hug me."

Marie smiled up at him, "That's cause you're the Wolverine...you're not afraid of anything."

"Yeah. You got a point there."

She laughed softly before looking down, "Do you think a guy will ever want me...as I am?"

He looked into her eyes for a moment and nodded. He knew a guy would want her just as she was...because he certainly did.

Marie blushed, "I'm sorry I'm talkin' to you about this. I bet you're thinkin' that I have Jubes and Kitty for all this girly crap, right?" Before he could answer, she continued, "Truth is...no matter what, I'll always think of you as my closest friend."

He quirked a smile and flicked a strand of white hair out of her eyes, "Yeah...guess that's what happens when you absorb part of someone's personality and they save your life a coupla times, huh?"

Logan remembered leaving her room imagining what her lips felt like, then panicking internally because he ended up having to go straight back to his room for a cold shower.

* * *

Marie was sitting in the library, studying for a physics test when she heard the faint sound of a motorcycle engine approaching the mansion.

She hesitated for a brief moment before slamming her book shut and jumping up to run to the front foyer.

It had been six months since his last visit and she found herself aching to see him...and it wasn't just because of the recent development of nightly sex dreams starring the one and only Wolverine...Marie could now touch, and it was, in part, because of him.

She and the professor had been searching for the key to her powers for over a year, and it turned out that Logan had been right. Fear was the key.

Once she stopped being afraid of her powers, she gained control of them.

By the time she stepped out the front door, Logan was halfway up the stairs to the mansion. When he took a look at her, he seemed a little surprised.

She wore fitted jeans and a scoop necked tank top...no gloves or scarves in sight.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes", she said with a half smile.

Logan walked further up the stairs to stand just two stairs below her, "Heya kid...long time no see."

"I'll say...six months is quite the stint. Guess you didn't miss us geeks enough to grace us with your presence."

He gave a shrug and looked down at her hands before motioning to them, "This mean what I think it means?"

She held up her hands and wiggled her fingers in front of his face, "Sure does...I'm a regular, touchable girl...and it's thanks, in part, to you."

"Me?" he said as he walked up the last two stairs to stand before her.

Marie nodded and looked up into his eyes, "Fear...I'm not afraid anymore."

He got lost in her deep brown eyes and nodded, "Good."

The sound of Storm saying his name broke them out of each others intense gaze. The professor and Hank followed, taking the time to greet Logan and unintentionally separating the two.

Marie backed into the doorway and started to walk inside, but not before she connected eyes with Logan once more.

Minutes later, she plopped down onto Jubilee's bed as her two best friends rummaged through a pile of clothes in an attempt to find something to wear on their double date later that evening with Peter and John.

Jubilee gave a turn in the full length mirror, "Roguey, do you like this dress?" When Marie gave no response, Jubilee snapped her fingers in front of her face and waved her hand, "Helloooooo! Where's your head at, girl?"

Kitty smirked, "If she had her way, it'd be in Logan's lap."

"Kitty!" exclaimed Marie.

Jubilee raised a brow, "Oh...so His Royal Hotness is back...no wonder you're completely distracted."

Marie rolled her eyes, "So yes...my night in shining armor is back. Is it so wrong to be excited?"

"Well girly, I suggest you start lookin' for more age appropriate prospects. As hot as he is, there's no way you two could make it as a legitimate item. It just doesn't make logistical sense."

Kitty nodded as she rummaged through the pile of clothes, "I have to agree with Jubes, hon. Your little crush on Logan was cute last year, now, it's holding you back."

Marie furrowed her eyebrows, "What is that s'posed to mean?"

Jubilee plopped down on the bed next to her friend, "Last year, you couldn't touch, so a real relationship was kinda out of your reach, but you had that crush to keep you company. Now, you can touch. You can have a normal future with a good guy who is your age and has the ability to be monogamous and wants the white picket fence, dog and 2.5 kids. Let go of your little Logan security blanket and embrace real life."

Within two days, Marie had a date with Warren, thanks to Jubilee and Kitty's meddling.

Warren was a perfect gentleman who was polite, easy to talk to and handsome.

During their date, she couldn't think of one reason why she shouldn't go on a second date with him.

When she went down to the kitchen later that night for a midnight snack, one big reason was sitting at the island, wearing a tank top that showed off his muscled physique. He was nursing a soda and looking a little annoyed that it wasn't a beer.

"Hey", she smiled.

"Hey kid, what are you doin' up this late?"

She shrugged and motioned toward the refrigerator, "Just a little hungry."

He grunted as she made her way to the refrigerator. When she turned her back to him, she didn't notice his hungry eyes roaming over her scantily clad body. She was ready for bed, so, as usual, she was wearing a tank top and shorts.

Logan watched as she tapped her barefoot on the tile floor while she searched the fridge for her snack.

When she gave up and grabbed a soda, she closed the refrigerator and turned around, showing that her nipples had hardened as a result of being exposed to the cold.

Logan, who was in mid-sip of his own soda choked and began coughing.

"You ok, darlin'?"

After another fit of coughs, he nodded, "Wrong pipe." After he recovered, he sighed, "So, I heard you had a date with that Warren guy."

"How'd you hear that?"

He shrugged, "Firecracker was yappin' about it at dinner. With her mouth, I couldn't help but hear."

Marie rolled her eyes, "Yeah. I had a date with Warren. It was...nice."

"Sounds like you wanna say 'boring'."

She ran a hand through her hair and leaned back against the counter, "How long are you stickin' around this time?"

Logan shrugged, "Dunno. Chuck says Mags has been busy, so he might need an extra hand around here permanently."

Marie fought her desire to perk up at that news, "Is the Wolverine capable of staying in one place for more than a month at a time?"

"Maybe."

Logan couldn't help but allow his eyes to travel down her form. When she started to take notice of his gawking, he cleared his throat and stood to move out of the room, "You should think about wearin' a robe kid. You'll catch a cold runnin' around this drafty old mansion like that."

When she had first seen him checking out her bare legs, she felt flattered, but that statement had quickly deflated her pride.

As she walked back to her room, she thought about what Kitty and Jubilee had told her. She realized that they were right...Logan was nothing more than a crush. There was no way she could ever have anything more than a friendship with him.

That night, he crept into her room to watch her sleep for a few minutes.

Wanting her the way he did was so wrong...it had to be. She was a teenager who'd barely had the chance to live and he was a emotionally barren loner who had no idea who he was...but damned if that didn't stop him from wanting to possess her.

* * *

**Review! And YouTube John Legend's song "Again" and tell me what you think of the words of that song and how it applies to Marie and Logan!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on, Logan! It would be a huge help!"

Logan crossed his arms as he leaned against the doorframe, chewing on his unlit cigar. Storm was trying to convince him to help her chaperone a ski trip since Jean and Scott were in DC and the professor had to stay behind with the rest of the students.

"I don't ski."

Storm let out an exasperated sigh, "You don't have to ski!"

Just as he was about to reiterate his protests, Marie bounded into the office. The way her breasts jiggled as she moved told Logan she was probably not wearing a bra. He was barely able to process the words she spoke, "Hey Storm, I was just checkin' to see what time we were leavin' in the mornin'."

"I don't know. If Logan doesn't come, we won't have enough chaperones." A student called for Storm's assistance in the next room, prompting her to quickly excuse herself.

Marie's brown eyes turned to him, and an expression of disappointment spread across her face.

He was immediately weakened, but he tried to maintain his stance, "Don't look at me like that, kid."

"Like what?"

"Like you're about to beg me to go on this damn trip."

She couldn't help but pout. She normally didn't, but she had been looking forward to that trip for weeks. She'd never been skiing before and the lodge they were going to be staying at looked gorgeous.

"Ok...maybe I am about to beg, but come on! Would coming on this trip really be so bad? Logan...I've never been skiin' before..." He glanced at her out the corner of his eye, but continued to try to look away, so she grabbed his forearms, "Please? Please please please?"

He rolled his eyes, "Fine."

She jumped up and down and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you!"

Logan tried not to smile as she bounded out of the room.

The next day, he on the bus as they drove to a ski lodge in the mountains.

Luckily, he was in a seat alone. None of the kids were stupid enough to bother him...except Marie.

She plopped down next to him with a smile on her face and beef jerky in her hand, "Hungry?"

"Nah. Thanks."

She dropped the plastic bag on the seat between them, "Just in case you get hungry later..."

He gave a brief nod. There was a moment of awkward silence before she suddenly spoke up, "Are you mad at me or somethin'?"

Logan raised a brow, "Mad at you? Why would I be mad?"

"You tell me. You've been kinda distant toward me since you been back."

He looked at her for a moment, then shook his head, "I ain't mad at ya, kid."

"Ok..."

He looked around the bus, "Where's your boyfriend?"

"Warren is visitin' his dad this weekend...and he's not technically my boyfriend. We're just goin' out."

Logan let out a brief snort, "Just goin' out, huh? What's the difference?"

Marie boldly looked him in the eyes, "Sex."

His eyebrows shot up toward his hairline as she smirked a little and turned her eyes back toward the front of the bus.

Logan cleared his throat, "Right...so if you two were having sex, he'd be your boyfriend?"

"Maybe."

"If ya ask me, I don't think Warren is your type."

Maybe it was the mountain air...maybe it was the fact that they were no longer in the school and now on neutral ground...but whatever it was, Marie felt emboldened.

"Oh? Who would be my type?"

Logan shrugged, "Dunno...but that guy doesn't seem like the definition of a good time." He looked her in the eye, "I'd think a girl like you would need someone to challenge you...keep you on the edge of your seat and make your heart race..."

Right now, her heart was racing...

They arrived at the ski lodge and checked into their rooms. By the time everyone was settled, it was dinner time, so everyone ended up in the lodge's main restaurant at the same time. Logan took a seat on one of the leather couches near the fireplace and had a waitress bring him a steak dinner. From his seat, he could keep an eye on all of the students.

As he ate, he spotted Marie sitting in the corner with a book. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was entitled "Snowboarding for Dummies".

Just then, she looked up and caught his eyes. He let out a chuckle and motioned toward her book before she rolled her eyes and laughed, then stood and made her way over to sit across from him.

"What's up with the book, kid?"

She shrugged, "I'm not gonna ruin this weekend by breakin' my leg. I'm clumsy enough as is...I could use all the help I can get."

"Good point. You are a huge klutz."

Marie stuck her tongue out briefly, then looked around, "This place is nice."

Logan followed her eyes to the stone fireplace, then to the wooden beams, and copious amounts of plush leather furniture dotting the lounge and dining room that made up the restaurant. The place was really nice, even to a guy like him who had no use for luxuries.

"It's not bad."

Marie laughed, "Come on, darlin'...this place looked like it dropped right off the pages of a Harlequin romance novel. I'm just lookin' for a bear skin rug I can strip naked and lay down on."

His mouth dropped open as he suddenly envisioned Marie laying naked on a bear skin rug in front of a roaring fire. She noticed his expression and spoke quickly, "I was joking, Logan."

"Right. I know. I knew that."

They were distracted by Jubilee calling Marie's name across the restaurant. When she left, Logan stood up and rushed out of the restaurant. He took the closest exit and stepped out into the falling snow.

He inhaled the cold air deeply as he fought hard to regain control of himself.

His desire for her was starting to take on a life of itself and he wasn't sure how long he would be able to be around her without throwing her up against the wall somewhere.

Truth be told, she was the reason why he'd come on this trip in the first place.

He wanted to be near her.

That night, Logan had to stay out in the hallway for a few hours to enforce the 'lights out' policy. He caught Jubilee attempting to sneak into John's room, and then Peter trying to sneak into Kitty's room.

Just when he thought he could go back to his room and catch some shut eye, one of the doors creaked open. He was about to shoot the student a warning growl, but he stopped himself when he saw it was Marie. She was wearing an oversized tee shirt that now served as a nightgown.

No woman had ever looked sexier to him.

He recovered in time to put his teacher hat back on, "What are you doin' out here, kid?"

"I always have a problem sleepin' in new places...what about you?"

"Yeah. I'm not tired at all," he lied.

Marie bit her bottom lip and smiled sheepishly, "You think I could hang with you in your room for a while?"

He looked at her for a long time...unsure of whether that was a good idea.

"Sure", he found himself saying before properly thinking the answer through.

A couple of minutes later, Marie was laying on her side on his bed. Her tee shirt had rode up on her thighs, making her look like a pin up modeling for "Jailbait Weekly".

He averted his eyes just before she caught him looking. She grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels, "Wonder what the weather is gonna be like tomorrow. I wanna take a turn on those slopes."

He clapped his hands together before glancing toward the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a quick shower. Make yourself...more comfortable."

Marie smiled, "Thanks."

During his shower, he argued with himself over how much of an idiot he was being around her. He smiled like a goofball, stuttered and stared at her constantly.

Hell, if she wore the right thing, he forgot how to speak altogether.

Right now was one of those times. Logan, the man, had very little self control as is...the Wolverine had absolutely no control or concern for consequence.

By the end of his shower, he'd decided he would tell her to go back to her room.

When he opened the bathroom door, he found Marie curled up on his bed, asleep. Apparently, all of his inner dialogue had turned his "quick shower" into a 30 minute one.

He stilled immediately, not wanting to disturb the beautiful sight before him.

Her curled up position had caused the night shirt she was wearing to hike even further up her thighs...nearly to her underwear.

She looked gorgeous laying there, in his bed.

The decent part of him wanted to wake her and make her go back to her room...but the more predominant part of him that wanted...needed her, walked over to her and gently laid behind her.

The warmth of her body drew him in...

Before he knew it, he was curled up next to her, breathing in her scent. He inhaled deeply and shuddered as her smell intoxicated him, "Marie..."

She stirred and whispered groggily, "Logan..."

The way she said his name sent him spiraling further into a state of lust. Her voice was husky, mixed with sleep and the southern twang he'd grown to know and love for so long.

Right there...he had a decision to make.

Either he could scoot back away from her and send her back to her room, untouched and unspoiled...or he could press his bulging erection against her ass and show her just how much he wanted her.

He looked at her and shook his head. This wasn't right.

Just as he was about to do the responsible thing and send her pretty little 17 year old ass back to her room, she shifted back toward him, causing her ass to press against him.

That was it. The straw that broke the camel's back.

His hand gripped her waist as he pressed himself fully against her...with a bit more force than he intended.

Marie gasped and looked back at him.

They stared in each other's eyes in silence for several moments as he slowly reached down and used the tips of his fingers to pull her nightgown up over her hips.

He continued to stare into her eyes as he hooked his fingers in the waist band of her panties and pushed them down off of her hips.

Marie let out a shuddering breath as the air hit her crotch.

Logan gently explored her quivering stomach with his calloused hand as he dipped his head into the crevice of her neck and breathed in her scent.

Marie rolled over onto her back fully and grasped his face before capturing his lips in a passionate kiss.

She moaned into his mouth as his hand snaked its way down her stomach to her mound.

He gently stroker her slit for a few moments before running a finger over her clit, making her gasp in pleasure. She reached down and grasped his wrist as he began fingering her, silently encouraging him to keep going.

When he felt her wetness begin to soak his hand, Logan maneuvered his hips between her open legs as she wrapped her arms around him, crushing his body to hers.

As he reached down and pushed his sweat pants off, his eager erection sprang forward, finally freed from its confines. Marie felt his cock brush against her thigh and broke the kiss to look up into his eyes.

Logan gave her a questioning look, causing her to respond with a nod.

Slowly, he reached down and grasped his cock, guiding it toward her entrance.

As he slide himself inside of her, he watched her face as it contorted from the mixture of pain and pleasure she was experiencing.

Her barrier gave way as he continued pushing forward, causing her to cry out softly. He quickly muffled her cry with a gentle kiss, which she soon began returning as her body adjusted to the new sensation.

Marie moaned softly as he began moving in and out of her, "Oh god...oh god..."

Her tightness was overwhelming...he wasn't sure how long he could last. Hearing her moan like that was going to drive him over the edge sooner than he intended.

Marie ran her hands down his back and grasped his ass, pushing him deeper inside of her and encouraging him to move faster.

After several moments of intense love making, a tingling sensation in her body suddenly exploded, sending her spiraling into a state of all consuming bliss. As she bit down on his shoulder to keep from screaming, Logan lost all control. He came so hard, he felt like he was temporarily blinded by the force of his climax.

When they recovered, Logan pulled out of her and plopped down beside her. They panted in unison, both seemingly too stunned about what had just happened to have enough coherent thought to speak.

It felt like an hour had passed before Logan broke the silence, "You OK?"

Marie nodded, "Yeah...I think so."

Another long pause.

This time, when the silence was broken, they started to talk at the same time. Marie sat up and pulled her night shirt down as Logan sat up and pulled up his pants, "You can talk."

"No...you go ahead."

He got out of bed and sighed, "I was just gonna say that...that was great...but-"

"But it can't happen again...I know."

Logan ran a hand through his hair, "I didn't want to take advantage of you or anything..."

"You didn't", she said as she slowly got out of his bed. "Mind if I use your bathroom before I go?"

"Go ahead."

When she closed the door, Logan closed his eyes and shook his head. What the hell had he done?

When Marie came out of the bathroom, Logan noted her fidgeting, "You sure you OK?"

She bit her bottom lip, "We didn't use anything...I...I think I should take the morning after pill."

It suddenly dawned on him that he'd been careless enough not to use some form of birth control...

She was a virgin, so of course she wasn't on the pill.

Logan nodded numbly, "Uhhh...ok." His mind ran a mile a minute as he struggled to form coherent thoughts, "I'll...uhh...I'll tell Storm I have to take you into town for some essentials or somethin'...there should be a pharmacy there."

Marie nodded, "Ok. Thanks."

* * *

The next morning, Logan told Storm that he would accompany Marie to the pharmacy in town for a few "feminine products". Luckily, Jubilee needed some essentials as well, so Storm's suspicions weren't raised since Marie volunteered to get some for her friend as well.

As Logan rode in the back of the cab with Marie, he noted her nervous fidgeting. He reached over and grasped her hands, "It'll be alright, kid."

When they reached the pharmacy, she bit her bottom lip, "You don't have to come in with me if you don't wanna..."

"I'm comin' in."

When they went inside, they went straight to the pharmacy counter, where they began the embarrassing, drawn out process of getting the Plan B morning after pill.

Marie looked humiliated and ashamed...and he knew that it was all because of him.

They both breathed a sigh of relief when she was finally given the ridiculously expensive medicine...which Logan gladly paid for.

The rest of her weekend was pretty shot since she was hit hard by nausea, which was one of the side effects of the pill.

He visited her in her room to check on her on the last night of the trip and no sooner had she opened the door did she run back to her bathroom to vomit. He watched helplessly from the doorway, unsure of how appropriate it would be if he walked over and rubbed her back.

Although he wanted to comfort her, he remained rooted in his place, deciding then and there to draw the line and create some separation between them.

Despite the fact that he desperately wanted her, he knew that the disaster resulting from their first tryst was probably just a taste of what would come if they continued sleeping together...so he decided to try to protect her from himself.

* * *

**Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

Things were awkward after they returned from the ski trip. On the way back home, they'd sat on opposite ends of the bus and refused to make eye contact.

Logan didn't want to hurt her or destroy their friendship, but it seemed as though it was unavoidable if he was going to make sure they didn't end up in bed together again.

Marie, on the other hand, kept her distance because she was embarrassed about the whole thing.

From the humiliation of him having to accompany her to get the morning after pill like he was some sort of guardian, to the nausea and vomiting that ruined her weekend, she felt completely mortified.

An older, more mature woman would have discussed birth control up front. She would have suggested a condom...or at least a pull out. But Marie had been so stupidly caught up in the moment, she didn't think about the consequences until it was almost too late...like a teenager.

Within a week of returning from the trip, she had visited planned parenthood and armed herself with birth control pills.

She wanted what had happened between them to happen again...but she couldn't blame him if he never wanted to touch her again.

Deep down, Marie knew he wasn't a viable prospect, so she continued dating Warren, hoping that the younger, handsome fellow would provide a decent enough distraction from the man who truly plagued her thoughts.

One month after the ski trip, Marie woke up early to get some studying done for her final exams later that day...but first, she needed coffee.

Seeing that it was barely 5am, the rest of the school (and staff) was still asleep, so she would have to make her own coffee and breakfast.

She was surprised when she ran smack dab into Logan's chest when she rounded the corner heading into the kitchen.

Marie gasped in surprise and stumbled backwards, clutching her chest, "Holy shit...you scared the hell outta me."

"Sorry..." he mumbled as he looked her up and down. "You ok?"

She nodded, "Just surprised...that's all. Thought everyone was asleep." Marie took note of the fact that he was fully dressed and clutching his duffle bag, "You headin' out?"

Logan looked down at his bag, then back up at her, "Yeah."

"Oh."

"Look, kid-"

Marie cut him off by holding up a hand, "It's OK. You don't owe me an explanation."

"I know...but I think you deserve one."

She shook her head and waved a hand, "Don't worry about it...really. It is what it is...and isn't."

Logan pursed his lips together and sighed, "I'll be back, kid...I always come back."

Marie nodded and forced a good natured smile to her face. Her breathing quickened as he stepped forward and gently took her waist in his hand, slowly pulling her forward.

She looked into his eyes before he leaned in and laid a long, lingering kiss on her cheek.

Marie's eyes closed as the contact ignited a familiar spark within her.

Instinctually, she placed a hand on his cheek and turned her face, just slightly, to brush her lips against his. She felt him still against her, but that didn't stop her from slowly flicking her tongue out to rub across his bottom lip.

Logan couldn't help but respond. He quickly captured her lips in a hungry kiss as he slammed her up against the nearest wall. Marie gasped into his mouth in surprise, but continued returning the kiss as she felt his hands eagerly roam down her body.

All too soon, he came to his senses and broke the kiss to look into her eyes.

He gently stroked her cheek with a calloused thumb before shaking his head and backing away, "I gotta go..."

Marie nodded and closed her eyes as he backed away from her, then rushed away.

When she opened her eyes, he was gone. She took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped the lone tear that had escaped her eye before slowly pushing herself off of the wall and walking to the kitchen to continue her day.

Over the next several months, she tried as hard as she could to put Logan out of her mind.

Marie continued dating Warren, and even got a little serious with him.

During Logan's absence, she was elated to find out that she had been accepted into the undergraduate studies program at the New York College of Medicine, whose campus was just minutes away from the mansion.

She'd always wanted to become a doctor, and now she was a small step closer to achieving her dream.

Despite the fact that it had been several months since the ski trip...and even though she was in a relationship with Warren, Marie still thought about Logan.

He had been right. Warren didn't get her heart racing...he didn't keep her on the edge of her seat, and he certainly didn't challenge her.

Even if Logan hadn't been holding her affections hostage, she could guarantee that Warren wouldn't have been her ideal match, but he was a good friend, and he kind of helped fill the sexual void Logan had created...then left her with.

Well, "kind of" was an over statement. The prim and proper Warren Worthington the Third barely wrinkled the sheets when they had sex.

Marie wanted passion...she wanted Logan.

When she, Peter, Jubilee, Kitty, Bobby, John and Warren graduated, the professor threw them a graduation party. Some family members who weren't bothered by the whole "mutant thing" showed up and celebrated.

Marie, of course, was alone.

Warren's dad, who was pretty on the fence about mutants, was scheduled to show up to meet Marie for the first time.

When the party was under way, she stood by the punch bowl, fidgeting as she watched the door for any sign of Warren's dad. She hated the whole "meet the parents" deal.

Warren placed a hand on her back and kissed her cheek, "Rogue, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were anxious about meeting my old man."

She laughed nervously, "Me? Nervous? Darlin', you know me better than that. I got nerves of steel."

He started to say something, but soon spotted his father and waved at him. Before Marie could react, he took her by the hand and led her across the room to where his father stood, "Hey dad...I'm glad you came."

The older man nodded and looked him up and down, "It's good to see you again, son. Congratulations."

"Thank you...oh...this is Ro-Marie...the girl I was telling you about."

Marie extended her hand, and smiled politely but the man looked frightened of it as he looked from her hand, then to his son, then to her face.

The older Warren stuttered, "My son told me about your mutation-"

She dropped her hand and nodded, "Oh...right."

The younger Warren grumbled in embarrassment, "Dad! I told you that she controls it!"

The rest of the night didn't go much better. The man was clearly not comfortable, but he tried, for his sons sake.

At the end of the night, when the party was over and all family members had successfully been shoed into their vehicles, Warren joined Marie on the back balcony just off of the dining room. He placed his jacket over her shoulders, making her smile as he stepped up beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Nice night", he said quietly as he stared at her profile.

Marie nodded, "It was nice."

"I'm really sorry about my dad."

She smiled and sighed as she laid her head on his shoulder, "Don't be. At least he's tolerant enough to show up...that's more than I can say for my own family. I saw so many people tonight...happy with their families, and it kinda hurt to know I don't have that."

Warren gently let go of her and maneuvered so that they were now facing each other. After he took a few shuddering breaths, he looked into her eyes, "Rogue...you can have family...I can be your family..."

As he knelt down on one knee before her, Marie felt herself begin to panic, "Warren?"

He pulled a black velvet box out of his pocket to reveal an antique looking diamond ring, "Marie...will you marry me?"

Her mouth dropped open as her world began crashing around her.

* * *

**Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi all! Thanks so much for your reviews so far, and thanks for the heads up about the song lyrics. I will definitely exclude them. I did have one review which expressed a bit of discomfort about Logan and Marie hooking up during a trip that he was chaperoning. I know it may have an "ick" factor for some, but I did that on purpose so that we could establish that their relationship is forbidden fruit from day one. I want you to feel uncomfortable about them hooking up, because I want you to experience the same discomfort/uncertainty they are feeling. I want to keep you as confused and emotionally conflicted as our main characters when it comes to their relationship.**

**Thanks again for the feedback and keep it up, please!  
**

* * *

She stood there in stunned silence for, what felt like an eternity.

Warren stared up at her with hopeful, expectant eyes as she gazed down at the ring with an expression he couldn't quite decipher.

Marie covered her mouth and shook her head as tears began to fall. Warren furrowed his eyebrows and slowly got to his feet, "Are you alright?"

She quickly reached out and closed the ring box, "Oh Warren...I can't. I'm sorry. I can't."

His entire demeanor drooped as he sighed sadly and looked down, "It's cause we're too young...isn't it?"

"That's one of the reasons..." She watched him sadly put the ring back into his pocket before pulling him over to a nearby bench and sitting down next to him, "Warren, I care about you very deeply, but we're both so young...you can't possibly think that what we share is '_it'_...do you?"

He looked into her eyes, "You're a great person, Marie...and...to be honest...you were my first."

Marie pursed her lips together and gently pulled him close, "Warren, when you meet the person you're supposed to be with, you're gonna feel a fire within you burnin' so deep, that your body will actually ache at the thought of her not bein' by your side. I know you don't feel that for me."

Warren looked down for a bit, then up into her eyes and nodded, "You're right..."

She smiled, "I think this is the friendliest break up in history."

He laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he pulled her close and kissed her forehead, "I agree."

They sat out there for a while, just staring up at the stars. After a few more moments, he walked her back to her room. She opened the door and started to walk in, but he stopped her, "Marie..."

"Yeah?"

"Is there someone that you feel that fire for? Have you found your passion?"

She looked into his eyes and answered honestly, "I don't know..."

* * *

The next morning, Logan returned. He was starving, so he headed straight to the dining hall to grab some breakfast.

He got a plate of food that was piled high with bacon and took a seat at the edge of the room so that he could quickly eat, then get some rest.

His ears perked up, however, when he heard Kitty and Jubilee yapping as they sat at a table a few feet away from his.

Jubilee was picking through a fruit salad as she spoke, "Did ya hear?"

"Hear about what?" asked Kitty as she sipped on her orange juice.

"Warren proposed to Roguey last night."

At that, his ears grew hot and he felt flushed.

With his appetite gone, he left his full plate at the table and stalked to his room, where he proceeded to hide out until the professor requested his presence at a team meeting later that afternoon.

Apparently, the professor's sources had found out that the newly emerged "Friends of Humanity" organization was attempting to stage a bombing that they would later attempt to pin on mutants.

He left with Jean, Scott and Storm a couple of hours later. The mission went smoothly...until Magneto's crew showed up.

Logan got pretty bloodied...seeing as how he was so distracted, but, of course, by the time they returned to the mansion, he was fine. His uniform, however, was another story.

When he walked into his room that night, he was surprised to find Marie sitting on the edge of his bed. She gasped and rushed forward upon seeing his bloodied, tattered uniform.

Her hands roamed over the holes, "My god! You had more holes in you than a sieve!"

He took a step back away from her concerned hands and nodded, "I'm fine." Marie's hands dropped down to her side as she noted his cold demeanor. "What are you doin' here, kid?"

"I heard you were back...but you never-I never saw you."

Logan plopped down on a chair across from his bed and yanked his gloves off before dropping them to the floor, "I figured you had bigger fish to fry after havin' such a big night last night."

Marie's eyebrows furrowed, "Are you talkin' about the graduation party?"

"You don't have to dance around it, kid. I know."

"Know...what?" she asked confusedly.

"About your engagement."

Marie shook her head, "Warren proposed, but I turned him down."

"You turned him down? Why?"

Marie looked away nervously, "I'm too young..."

He nodded and looked down. He didn't know how he expected her to respond to that question, and got frustrated that a part of him had hoped she would confess her undying love for him and tell him that her desire for him was the reason why she refused Warren's proposal.

Logan ran a hand over his tired face, "Look. I'm tired, so, if you don't mind-"

"Right. Goodnight."

Marie walked out of his room unsure of what she should be feeling.

Now that Marie was a graduate of the school, she, along with John, Peter, Bobby, Kitty and Jubilee, were considered to be junior members of the team. They were still a ways off from seeing any action, but they were involved in a "support capacity" as Scott called it.

The junior team members soon found out that "support capacity" basically meant laundry service and personal assistant duties.

Marie got stuck with laundry service one evening, and was tasked with the duty of delivering newly cleaned uniforms to their perspective owners.

The Wolverine's was last on the list. She knocked gently on his door.

"Come in", he said from inside.

Marie slowly opened the door and held up the garment bag, "Got your uniform."

He had been buttoning up his shirt in front of the dresser mirror, obviously preparing to go out somewhere.

"Thanks. Just put it anywhere."

She laid it across his bed and looked around, "Goin' out?"

"Yeah. Gonna go catch the game at a bar."

"Oh. Ok...have fun."

Marie started to leave, but she stopped and turned around, "I don't like this, Logan."

"What are you talking about, kid?"

"I miss bein' able to talk to you or be in the same room with you without us both looking for the quickest way out. This is bull shit..."

Logan ran a hand through his hair, "Look, kid...I dunno what to say...but I know that, if I'd known what I know now, I woulda-"

"You woulda never had sex with me...great to know."

He growled a little, "Quit puttin' words in my mouth, kid. That's not what I meant. I hate that what I did to you damaged our friendship."

"What you did to _me_?"

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose for a brief second, "I was the adult in that situation...it was clear I was the one who took charge...I coulda stopped myself at any moment, but I didn't...and everything that happened, happened because of me. I took advantage of you...and every time I look at you, I remember that."

She narrowed her eyes, "That's really what you think happened?"

"I was there, Marie. I _KNOW_ that's what happened."

Marie locked the door to his room, then turned around and began unbuttoning her shirt.

When he saw what she was doing, he almost looked alarmed, "What are you doin'?"

By now, all of her buttons were undone. She snatched her shirt off of her shoulders and slowly began sauntering forward, "Helpin' you with your guilty conscience."

"Marie, I-"

She cut him off by wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a passionate kiss on his lips. He couldn't help but return the kiss...he'd been wanting her since that day in the mountains so many months ago...and now, he realized she was even better than he had remembered.

His hands ran up her bare waist to cup her bra-covered breasts, making her moan softly.

Within a blink, Logan unsheathed a claw and cut off her bra, freeing her pert, milky breasts from their restraints.

Marie gripped his shirt and ripped it open, sending buttons ricocheting off of random objects in the room as they continued kissing.

He blindly backed them up to his bed, where they promptly collapsed onto the mattress. Marie kissed her way down his neck, chest and stomach before unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning his pants. When she finally had him completely unzipped, she pulled his member out and gently flicked her tongue over the tip.

His entire body stiffened as he clenched his fists, "Shit..."

Marie smirked as she ran her tongue up the length of his shaft before slowly easing it into her mouth, inch by inch.

Logan shuddered as he reached down to gently run his fingers through her hair. He leaned up on an elbow and moved some of her hair out of her face so that he could watch her suck him into her mouth.

The vision of her doing it was almost as good as feeling her mouth surrounding his swollen cock.

She continued slowly and torturously sliding him in and out of her mouth for a few minutes, but soon, Logan couldn't take it anymore.

He had to stop her before he came...

Logan gently coaxed her off of his cock before he guided her to lay on the bed next to him.

He helped her finish undressing, and stared at her body in silence as she laid naked before him.

She bit her bottom lip an ran a hand over her breast as he stared at her. When his eyes finally made their way back to her face, he shook his head and whispered, "Fuckin' beautiful."

Now, it was his turn to make her squirm in pleasure.

He favored each and every erogenous zone with deliciously pleasurable kisses.

When he took a hold of her knees and spread her thighs, Marie tensed slightly. He smirked a little before lowering his head to the meeting of her thighs.

As his tongue began working its magic on her clit, Marie was barely able to lay still. She involuntarily arched her hips up in time with the movements of his tongue.

When he felt her body begin to shudder, he laid a soft kiss on the inside of her thigh and crawled up her body.

Just before he pushed himself inside of her, he paused, "Protection?"

"I'm on the pill."

Logan smiled as he pushed his full length inside of her.

Marie, who had already been close to her climax, had to stop herself from cumming upon his initial invasion of her body. She moaned and ran her hands up and down his back, prompting him to move faster and harder within her.

Within minutes, Marie bit her bottom lip and whispered, "Take me from behind, baby..."

She knelt on all fours in front of him, then gasped when he re-inserted himself from behind.

He fucked her hard and fast, forcing her to slump forward as he pounded into her body.

All she could manage was soft gasps and lusty moans as a powerful orgasm seized a hold of her quivering body.

Logan grasped her hips painfully and slammed into her one last time before he spilled himself deep within her.

They panted heavily as he leaned down and laid a loving kiss on the space between her shoulder blades.

Minutes later, Marie sat on the edge of the bed, putting her shirt back on as Logan pulled on his pants on the other side of the room.

The silence was deafening.

Marie stood and pulled on her pants, then ran a hand through her disheveled hair, "No matter what...remember that I wanted what happened in the mountains...and I wanted what just happened in here. You can let go of whatever guilty conscience you try to hold onto."

She left him standing there, staring at his recently closed door.

* * *

**Welp. They had sex again but absolutely NOTHING has been resolved!**

**Coming up next:**

**Marie and Logan face more challenges.**

**A charming Cajun attempts to sweep Marie off of her feet in Logan's absence.**

**Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's a warning- there's a lot of Remy-Marie interaction in this chapter, but not to worry, this is still a ROGAN story. I just have to establish a bit of competition for Wolvie! **

* * *

Two weeks after their latest tryst, Marie watched him talking to Jean just outside of the dining hall doorway and sighed to herself. Jubilee walked across her line of sight, "Ready to go, chica?"

She quickly cleared her throat and straightened, "Um...yeah. Sure."

"Somethin' wrong? You seem kinda distracted."

Marie, who had stupidly been unable to tear her eyes away from Jean and Logan, didn't answer. Jubilee followed her eyes to the pair, then looked back at her friend, "Don't tell me you're still barking up that tree, hon."

She shook her head and stood, "No. Course not. I'm ready to go."

Jubilee let Marie off the hook...until they made it to the mall. They were browsing the clearance racks at JC Penny when Jubilee brought it up again, "So...about the way you were lookin' at Mr. Growly-Pants..."

Marie let out a frustrated groan and dropped her head against one of the clothing racks, "Jesus Christ...I shoulda known you wouldn't be able to let this shit go."

"Can you blame me? If looks could kill, Jean woulda had rigor mortis by now. I thought you were over your crush on Logan."

She bit her bottom lip and looked down at some clothes, "It's not like my feelin's are connected to some on-off switch, Jubes."

"So is that why you turned Warren down?"

Marie rolled her eyes, "Come on...you honestly think Warren was the guy for me? If you honestly think that I should spend the rest of my life with him, then you really don't know me at all."

Jubilee smacked her gum, "Ok...you got a point there..."

"Truth is...I think I'll always care about Logan. I know he's no good for me and you think my preoccupation with him is gonna be some sort of detriment to the rest of my love life...but, truth is, whatever I feel for him isn't just gonna disappear...regardless of who comes in and out of my life."

Jubilee sighed, "So you'll always carry a torch for him and he'll always carry a torch for Jean..."

"What? What are you talkin' about? Logan and Jean have barely spoken in the past few months."

Jubilee began running her fingers over the clothes, "Of course...you don't need to talk to do what they were apparently doin' in the danger room."

Marie's mouth dropped open, "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"Apparently, Scott caught them making out. He left in a huff for Alaska this morning."

She felt her hands trembling as she nearly dropped the armful of sweaters she'd planned on buying, "I gotta go. I forgot I have...I have a thing..."

"What? But we just got here! We're supposed to be meeting Kitty at Macy's in an hour."

Marie tossed the sweaters onto a display table and rushed out, calling over her shoulder, "I've got a headache...tell her I'm sorry. I'll take the bus back."

She rushed out of the mall with tears stinging her eyes.

Instead of walking to the nearest bus stop, Marie chose to walk the ten miles back to the mansion.

As she walked, she kept her head down and allowed the tears to flow freely.

Marie was more angry at herself than anyone else. She'd allowed herself to develop feelings for an otherwise unavailable man...and she hated herself for it.

When she realized she needed more time to think, she decided to stop off at a casual dining restaurant to just sit quietly for a while.

She sat in a corner booth, staring down at her uneaten chicken finger basket and sipping on her third glass of iced tea. When the incessant vibrations of her phone continued to tickle her side, she reached into her pocket and turned it off.

One hour turned to two...two turned to three...and before she knew it, her patient and attentive waitress was handing her a check because the place was getting closing.

Marie made sure to tip generously since she knew she'd tied up the table for the same amount of time that she could have served three families.

When she stepped out into the night air, Marie still had no desire to go home, so she walked to the Holiday Inn next to the restaurant.

She used her lone credit card that she'd gotten just one month prior to check in.

When she reached the room, she plopped on the bed fully clothed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what brought her to this point.

For some stupid reason, she'd allowed herself to believe that he was over Jean...and that he wouldn't be interested in any other women because he'd fallen for her...

Marie fell asleep fully clothed on top of the comforter.

She woke up the next morning just after 9am. She figured she should get back to the mansion before the professor sent out a search party.

After washing up a bit in the bathroom, she had the front desk call her a cab, then finally mustered up enough courage to go home and walk through the front doors. She walked directly into Storm, Hank, Jean, Jubilee, Kitty, John, Peter, Bobby Warren, and the professor.

They rushed up to her and began firing off questions, but the professor, intuitively sensing her mental exhaustion and stress, spoke up, "I'm certain Rogue has had a difficult evening. I'd like to speak with her privately now. Thank you all for your efforts and concern..."

The large group of people hesitantly dispersed as they stared at Marie. They were, no doubt, wondering where she'd spent the last 16 hours.

When they were alone in the professor's office, Marie plopped down in a chair in front of his desk and looked down at her hands.

He sighed, "We were quite worried about you, Rogue."

Marie sighed, "I'm sorry...but I guess I figured you could use Cerebro if you were really concerned."

"I was preparing to resort to that. Cerebro takes a great deal of concentration and power to control...which is why I only use it as a last resort in certain situations."

She nodded, "Look...I'll make sure to keep you guys informed if I decide not to come home. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

Marie stood and made her way to the door. Just as she put her hand on the door handle, the professor spoke up, "Perhaps you should call Logan and let him know you're alright. When you didn't come home last night, he grew very distressed and immediately left the mansion in an attempt to find you. He called back every couple of hours to see if you'd returned. He seemed very concerned."

She gripped the door handle so tight, her knuckles turned white, then left without another word.

Marie was just getting out of the shower when she heard pounding on her door. She dried off a bit and started to wrap the towel around her body, "Hang on a sec!"

Without warning, Logan threw the door open, stepped inside and slammed it behind him. Marie, who had yet to properly cover herself gasped and fumbled with the towel until she could finally properly wrap it around her body.

"What the hell are you doin'?" she screeched as she clutched the towel closed.

"What the hell am **I** doing? What the hell are **YOU**doing? Where were you?"

Marie rolled her eyes, "I don't see how that's any of YOUR business, Logan. I spoke to the professor. The search party has been called off. You can stop pretending to care now."

She started to walk over to her dresser, but he rushed over and grabbed her upper arm, "Do you know how worried I was? We called your phone a million times and it kept going straight to voicemail! Do you know all of the fucked up scenarios that played out in my head?"

Marie turned away and murmured, "I'm sure a couple of them ended with you suckin' on Jean Grey's face..."

He flinched and leaned forward, "What?"

Logan heard exactly what she said, but he was still furious. He was scared for her well being last night...and because she made him worry about her, he was irrationally angry. Her knowing about him making out with Jean would automatically transfer his right to be angry to her...and he wasn't ready to give up being mad yet.

She snatched her arm out of his grasp and opened her dresser, "Nothin'."

As he watched her pull some clothes out of her dresser, he realized that she'd gone MIA because of him...and the fact that he'd gotten caught making out with Jean.

Guilt stabbed at his gut like a dull knife.

He backed off and cleared his throat, "Try not to run off like that again, kid. Ya scared the hell outta us."

She didn't respond as she busied herself, removing clothes from her dresser.

Logan was gone again by that evening.

* * *

Three weeks later, Marie was sitting in the library, reading a book when Storm led a tall, handsome man with long hair in. She was obviously in the middle of a tour, since she said, "...and here's the library. Oh, hey...Rogue...this is our newest recruit, Gambit."

Gambit took one look at Marie and felt his heart skip a beat. She smiled politely and stood to walk over and shake his hand.

She was taken aback, however, when Gambit took her hand and laid a kiss across her knuckles, "Lovely to make yo acquaintance, cher...you, lovely petit, can feel free ta call me Remy...Remy LeBeau."

Marie couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Well, it's nice to meet you Mr. LeBeau. Welcome."

He stared into her eyes so intently, Storm had to clear her throat to recapture his attention, "Um...Gambit, I wanted to finish showing you around before the kids got out of class."

Remy gently dropped Marie's hand and looked back at Storm, "Lead the way, Stormy Weather..." He started to walk out of the room, but turned back to Marie, "I certainly do hope ta see ya more 'round here, belle..."

The next night, while she was watching television alone in the rec room, she heard someone walk into the room behind her, but didn't bother to turn around. After a few short moments, his warm, honey soaked voice assaulted her senses, "You kinda a loner, huh belle?"

Marie turned to look at him, "Not really. I just-"

"Looks like ya got a lot on ya mind."

She raised a brow, "Are you telepathic or somethin'?"

"Nah. Just observant."

Marie laughed softly as he she stood and began making her way towards the doorway behind him, "That, you are. I have a bit on my mind...yes, but I don't necessarily feel comfortable talkin' to someone I just met about my troubles...no offense intended."

"None taken, petit...but I'd be happy to try to take ya mind off ya troubles."

Marie couldn't help but laugh and roll her eyes, "How do you plan on doin' that, cajun?"

Remy gently took her hand and stroked his thumb across her knuckles as he leaned in and looked into her eyes, "You'd be surprised, belle..."

Her breath hitched in her throat, "You better back up, LeBeau...you don't know me like that."

Marie took a step backwards, then walked out of the door. He smirked and called after her, "What if I wanna know ya like that, belle?"

Marie didn't answer. She simply made a bee line to her room, then splashed cold water on her face as soon as she got there.

* * *

A few weeks later, Marie was in the front parlor with Kitty, putting on her jacket as they waited for Jubilee. They were on their way out for dinner, and, of course, Jubes was running late.

Jubilee came around the corner with Remy, "Hey ladies! Look who wants to join us for dinner!"

Marie's eyes widened, "Wait...what? I thought it was just gonna be the three of us."

Kitty smiled, "I think it's a great idea! He's been living here for almost two months and we haven't even had the chance to speak to the guy. It'll give us the perfect opportunity to get to know him."

Remy smirked at her as Kitty and Jubilee led him out the door.

An hour later, the four of them were sitting in a booth at a nearby restaurant, listening as Remy described his childhood home in Louisiana. He detailed the bayou sunset in slow, poetic detail as Kitty and Jubilee hung on every word.

Marie was clearly not apart of his captive audience. She sat next to him in the booth with her arms crossed rolling her eyes as her friends let out random, soft sighs during Remy's story about his childhood love.

She was rather put out by the cajun intruding on her girl's night, but Jubilee and Kitty seemed to be enamored with him.

The guy definitely knew how to charm the panties off of any woman who crossed his path, but Marie refused to fall under his spell.

When they returned to the mansion, Kitty and Jubilee rushed off to find their perspective boyfriends, leaving Remy and Marie alone in the front parlor.

She gave him a nod, "Welp...night."

Marie started to make her way toward the stairs, but Remy's gentle hand on her arm stopped her, "Why so eager ta leave my presence, belle?"

She stopped and turned around, "Look, LeBeau...I grew up in Mississippi around pretty boys just like yourself who thought that they could talk the panties off of any female creature they wanted. You may have had Jubes and Kitty's mouths hangin' open, but I am not so damn easy to impress, ya hear me?"

Remy, who had been grinning the entire time she spoke, suddenly grabbed her by the waist and yanked her to him before planting a delicious kiss on her lips.

Marie's body fell limp in his arms as he supported her weight and slowly ended the kiss.

She slowly opened her eyes as he pulled back to smile down into her face, "Impressive enough for ya, belle?"

With that, Marie slapped Remy across the face and yanked away from him. She cleared her throat and straightened out her clothes, "Don't you EVER touch me without my permission EVER again!"

Remy smiled and stroked his jaw as she rushed away.

Flustered, she stomped all the way to her room and slammed the door behind her. She threw her purse across the room and yanked off her shoes.

As she took off her clothes and got into the shower, she realized she was more angry at herself for liking the kiss than she was at Remy for giving it to her.

The next afternoon, Marie walked into the kitchen to fix a sandwich for lunch. When she spotted Remy she tried to turn right back around to leave, but he stopped her, "Comin' to apologize?"

Marie crossed her arms and raised a brow defiantly, "I wouldn't hold my breath waitin' for that apology, LeBeau."

Remy walked up to her, making her involuntarily step backwards until she reached a wall, "Ya think ya scarin' me away, but ya ain't doin' nothin' but makin' me want ya more."

Her breath caught in her throat as he started to lean in to kiss her, but the arrival of Jubilee and her loud mouth forced him to abandon his efforts.

The firecracker took one look at the closeness of their bodies and began stuttering, "Uhhh.s-s-sorry...didn't mean to interrupt."

Marie slipped from beneath Remy's shadow and shook her head, "You weren't interrupting anything at all."

She managed to avoid him for weeks, but her luck ran out one late night, when she was studying for a physics test in the library.

When Remy walked in, she barely spared him a glance before she began furiously erasing the writing on her paper.

Noting her frustration immediately, he furrowed his eyebrows and began casually strolling toward her, "Got a problem, belle?"

"Not one that you could help me with..."

He stood over her and looked down at her papers and book, "I wouldn't be to sure bout that, petit..." He read over one of the open pages of her book, "Ah...physics. Looks like ya in luck. Physics jus happens ta be a specialty o'mine..."

Marie quirked a brow and almost laughed, "Yeah. Right."

Remy sat down next to her, then slid the book and paper away from her before picking up the pencil and working through the problem. As he wrote, he spoke, "Ya see...I learned early on...that in order ta really understand my power...I had to understand how it works...and seein' as how I manipulate kinetic energy, it's obvious I'd have to become a bit of an expert when it comes ta physics..."

By the time he finished talking, he'd finished working through the problem and slid the paper back over to Marie. She looked down at the paper and raised both brows.

It looked right.

She quickly checked the answer key located in the back of the book and realized that his equation and answer had been correct.

Marie looked back up at his smirking face, "How the hell did you do that?"

"I told ya...I learned physics so I could understand my power. I can give ya a little tutorin' lesson if ya need it."

She looked at him for a long time and contemplated her choices. Continue to helplessly get stuck on problem after problem and barely get enough sleep in time for her midterm tomorrow...or accept Remy's help and have a shot in hell of maintaining her 3.6 GPA.

Marie chose the latter. She scooted her chair closer to him and nodded, "Alright...I need your help."

Less than two hours later, Remy had helped her work through several more problems, and a few easy tips about how to memorize key equations.

She felt confident about her exam the following day.

As she gathered her books together to retire for the evening, he stood, "Good luck t'morrow, belle."

Marie smiled as she clutched her books to her chest, "Thanks." She started to walk away, but she turned around and sighed, "Look...I'm sorry for how I've been actin' toward you. I just...I've just...I guess we just got off on the wrong foot."

He cocked a half smile, "Well, it would be mighty nice ta be on the right foot with ya, petit."

Three days later, Marie sought Remy out to tell him that she'd gotten an A on her midterm...which was far more than she had expected since she'd been struggling to keep a B in that class since the beginning of the semester. An A would take the pressure off of her until finals.

Excited about her victory in her physics class, she credited him with her good grade and insisted on taking him out to dinner as repayment for his tutoring services.

Of course, he accepted, and pretty soon, they found themselves at an Italian restaurant.

Remy leaned forward, "Wanna glass o'wine, belle?"

"Too young."

He furrowed his brow, "How old are ya?"

"I'll be 19 in a couple of months...how old did you think I was?"

Remy shrugged, "Ya so mature, petit...if ya told me ya were twenty five, I woulda believed ya...what made ya so world weary..."

After taking a sip of her water, she sighed, "My mutation...I've absorbed a couple of old souls."

He nodded, "So...what bout your aversion toward me?"

Marie looked down and fiddled with her napkin as her voice lowered, "Maybe...I found you interesting and that scared me cause I just...I'm just not sure where my heads at when it comes to men..."

"Fair 'nough." He let a moment pass before he sheepishly looked at her, "So...ya find me interestin'?"

She rolled her eyes, "I shoulda known you weren't gonna let that one go."

They shared an easy laugh and continued to make entertaining conversation for hours. Before they knew it, chairs were getting turned over and placed atop tables around them and their waiter was clearing her throat in a polite effort to get them the hell out of the restaurant.

When they returned to the mansion, Remy walked her to her room, "I had a nice night, petit...thanks for dinner."

"You're welcome...I had a good time too. Thanks for your help on my physics exam..."

He nodded, "Anytime..."

Marie felt confused as he smiled and walked away. Why hadn't he tried to kiss her? She thought they were having such a great time...

She called his name just as he got to the end of the hallway. He turned around, "What's up, belle?"

"Um...why didn't you kiss me...or try to?"

He smiled, "Ya didn't gimme permission, belle...and after that fierce slap the first time I kissed ya...I learned mah lesson."

Marie smiled at his consideration for her, then bit her lip, "What would you say if I gave you permission to kiss me?"

Remy stepped closer to her, "I wouldn't say nothin' at all..."

With that, he took a hold of the back of her neck and brought her lips to his. She responded to the kiss and moaned softly as he slowly ended it to smile down into her face, "G'night, belle..."

"Night, Remy..."

* * *

**Review please!**

**Coming up: Logan returns in a state of emotional distress after discovering more about his past...will Marie be available to comfort him?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey folks! Don't forget to search YouTube for John Legend's "Again" song. Listen to the lyrics so that you can understand where the inspiration for this story came from.**

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Marie and Remy were having a game night with Jubilee, Kitty, Peter and Bobby. Monopoly was the game of choice, and the competition was getting fierce.

As with every Monopoly game in the history of the world, it was lasting for hours, so naturally, everyone started to get hungry.

Marie volunteered to go get snacks, and Remy graciously offered to help.

When they reached the kitchen, she grabbed a couple of bags of chips, some peanuts and plenty of drinks to pile onto the trays they would be using to transfer the goodies to the rec room.

He smiled at her, "Thanks for invitin' me ta play with ya."

She smiled shyly, "No problem. I thought it would be good to have an even number of players.

Remy stepped up behind her as she arranged the snacks on the trays and placed his hands on her waist before whispering in her ear, "That the only reason, belle?"

Her eyes rolled closed as he gently kissed her neck, then spun her around and kissed her passionately, trapping her body between his own and the counter behind her. Marie ran her hands through his hair and moaned into his mouth as the kiss deepened.

Unfortunately, the kiss ended when they heard Kitty clearing her throat from the door way.

Remy chuckled a little and took a step backwards, "Miss Pryde...what can we do ya for?"

"Well, I WAS coming to see what was taking the snacks so long...but I guess I figured out the answer to that question."

Marie, who was bright red from embarrassment ran a hand over her face and laughed, "We're comin' now."

When Kitty left, Remy turned back to Marie, "Guess we should be gettin' back."

"Agreed."

"After you, milady", he said as he extended his hand toward the door.

Remy smirked when he watched her ass as she walked away, "Damn, gal! Hate to see ya go, but I love ta watch ya walk away...mmm..."

Marie winked at him over her shoulder as she walked away.

They continued to date for several weeks, but Marie held off on the physical aspect of their relationship since she was fearful that having sex too soon would complicate (or ruin) their relationship.

Storm and Scott had planned a camping trip and Marie had decided to go. When Remy found out about her plans to attend, he decided to tag along as well. Secretly, he hoped that the rustic setting would put Marie in the mood and perhaps free her to take their relationship to the next level.

The night before the trip, Marie was in Jubilee's room with her and Kitty, watching Sex and the City reruns. After one particular episode featuring the infamous "Big", Kitty wiggled her eyebrows, "I think I know who Marie's 'Big' is...well, if they had sex..."

Marie scrunched up her eyebrows, "What are you talkin' about?"

Jubilee piped up, "Oooh...right...Mr. Growly-Pants..."

"Logan? You think Logan is my Mr. Big?"

Kitty motioned toward the television, where a new episode's opening credits were rolling, "Come on...he's handsome, you can't seem to get him out of your system, and he's absolutely no good for you...definitely Big..."

Marie suddenly grew uncomfortable when she realized that her friends were right. Logan was her Big.

Jubilee noticed Marie's discomfort and sighed, "Don't worry, chica...we know Mr. LeBeau is keeping you good and occupied. I'm proud of you for that catch. He's definitely a grade A hottie!"

Marie rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself, "Shut up...but yeah...there's a little somethin' there."

Jubilee nudged Marie, "NOW do you think you're ready to get back on the pill?"

"Jubes!" exclaimed Marie as her cheeks turned red.

Kitty laughed, "You should already be back on it...I thought you'd use this camping trip as a good excuse to get naked with your favorite cajun! Besides...I have no idea why you were on the pill in the first place. You weren't getting any action before Gambit showed up..."

It was true. According to her friends, she'd never seen any action...but in the nearly 5 months since Logan's latest departure, Marie had sworn to herself that he was a mistake that she would never repeat again and that she needed time alone, so she didn't bother with continuing to refill her birth control after he left.

That was before she considered Remy to be anything more than an annoying swamp rat. Now...she was feeling differently. She found him to be funny, sexy and they had a ton in common. She would definitely have to get her birth control refilled by the end of the week...and perhaps pick up a pack of condoms.

After a couple more episodes of Sex and the City, Marie excused herself to get some drinks from the kitchen. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she found herself less than ten feet away from her Big.

"Hey kid..."

Marie froze, "Logan...you're back..."

He nodded and looked up and down the hallway, almost as if he needed to be sure they were alone, before he stepped forward and wrapped her in an embrace.

All of he anger she held toward him was pushed to the back of her mind as the very out-of-character, affectionate act caused her mind to begin running a mile a minute.

It was a long time before she felt him take a shuddering breath as his head dropped down to her shoulder, "I found out who I was, kid..."

Marie slowly pulled back to look into his face, "What?"

"I know about my past..."

Sensing how shaken and upset he was, she led him to his old room and sat down in the arm chair as he dropped his bag on the floor and sat down on the edge of his bed. He sat there, silently hanging his head and staring at his clasped hands for several moments before Marie stood, then moved to sit beside him.

She slowly reached over and pulled one of his hands into hers.

Logan's hand stayed limp for several moments, until it slowly curled around hers.

"Talk to me," she whispered.

"I'm a monster."

Marie shook her head and squeezed his hand, "No. You're not."

"Yes I am! I've always thought it...now I just had it reaffirmed as fact by findin' out about my past."

She looked into his eyes, "How did you find out?"

"Chuck was able to pull a couple of names out of my memory bank for me...mine...and Major William Stryker. I did all the research I could...had the professor call in a few favors...found out Stryker headed up this top secret team of mercenaries...and that most of the former members had died, but there were two left..."

"You..."

He stared straight ahead, "And my brother...Victor Creed."

Marie flinched, "Sabertooth?"

Logan nodded, "He's my brother...that fuckin' animal is related to me."

She took a while to absorb the information before moving to kneel in front of him. He tried to lower his eyes, but she took his face in his hands, "Logan, listen to me. This doesn't change anything. You're still you...and the you I know has done good...you've saved lives...you saved me..."

Logan looked at her and shook his head as her hands dropped from his face to his knees, "How the hell am I supposed to trust myself if I have this monster inside of me? How do I make up for all the shit I've done?"

Marie put her hands back on his face, "We can never make up for our past. We can only learn from it...best part about it, is you've already moved on...you just have to make the decision to not let your past dictate who you are now."

"I wish I'd never found out...I was a goddamn mercenary, Marie. I'm related to Sabertooth..."

"That doesn't matter, Logan." He shook his head and looked down, but she forced him to look into her eyes, "Look at me...you are not an evil man. You are not a monster...I know you...and I care about you."

Logan's eyes still looked sad and lost as she stared into his face. He suddenly leaned down to kiss her, but she hesitated and recoiled slightly. His arms snaked around her waist as he pulled her close, "Please Marie...I need you...I need to know you still think of me as you always have..."

She weakened and allowed him to slowly kiss her. His lips seemed unsure when they first connected to hers...almost as if he was scared she would pull away, but when he realized she was melting into the kiss, he quickly grabbed her and pulled her onto the bed, where he immediately pushed a hand under her shirt to grasp onto her breast.

After a knee weakening make out session, Logan stopped kissing her just long enough so that they could divest themselves of their shirts, jeans and her bra.

He visibly shuddered at the sight of her naked breasts before moving back atop her to continue kissing her.

She wrapped her naked legs around his waist as he began nipping at her neck and ground his crotch into hers, moaning as he felt her wetness begin to seep through her panties.

Marie shuddered against him as his chest pressed against her breasts hard, causing her nipples to harden in response to the friction.

Suddenly, he moved from atop her and turned her over onto her stomach. Logan leaned down and began kissing her neck and back before she felt him pull her panties down her legs.

After some rustling, she felt him slowly push apart her legs and climb onto the bed behind her.

Marie raised her hips slightly as she felt the head of his cock brush against her entrance, then let out a delicious cry of ecstasy as he pushed forward, impaling her on his erection.

She raised the top of her body up as he kissed her neck and slowly pumped in and out of her body.

He was even better than she had remembered.

His hands expertly roamed over her body, touching every part that made her go wild.

Without warning, her body was rocked by a powerful orgasm, which Logan let her ride out as her body bucked and thrashed beneath his.

When the tremors in her body slowed, he slowly pulled her into a kneeling position and held her waist as he began thrusting in and out of her.

Soon, his pace was brutal, and the room was filled with the sounds of sex as her ass slapped against him with each thrust.

Logan's fingers dug into her hips as she reached down to where they were joined to stimulate her clitoris. He quickly pushed her hand away and took over the task, vigorously stroking the bundle of nerves until she was practically crying from the intensity of the pleasure.

Feeling her climax around him proved to be his undoing. He gritted his teeth and growled out, "Ahhh shit...I'm cummin' baby..."

Despite the fact that she was barely able to form coherent though due to her recent multiple orgasms, Marie's eyes flew open as she felt him pulse inside of her, "No! No! Pull out! Pull out!"

He did, causing the remainder of his semen to shoot onto the bed.

Logan collapsed onto the bed beside her panting, oblivious to the inner turmoil that was bubbling to her surface.

Marie, who was now completely returned to reality by the birth control slip up, sat up and quickly began collecting her clothes and getting dressed.

"I have to go..." she mumbled as she pulled on her jeans and stuffed her panties in her pocket.

He cleared his throat and nodded as he pulled on his own pants, "Right."

As he watched her quickly put on her bra and shirt, he wished he had the courage to ask her to stay, but he knew it was probably best if she left.

On her way back to her room, she ran into Jubilee, "Jesus! I thought you died or something, chica! I've been looking for you everywhere! I thought you were getting us drinks, and here we are, 2 hours later! Where the hell have you been?"

Marie shook her head and ran a hand through her hair, "I went for a walk."

"Riiiiight...you usually go for walks at eleven at night?"

Marie laughed nervously, "No...not typically. Look. I'm gonna hit the sack. I know we're leaving early tomorrow and I got a coupla errands to run before we go."

The next morning, Marie slept in by accident. She awoke only when Kitty burst into her room, complaining about how late she's going to be. She wouldn't be able to get the morning after pill today...

She knew that refusing to leave with the group would raise suspicion, so, after a quick shower, she was out the door with her bags.

Remy noted that she looked distracted during the drive to the mountain campsite, but she claimed she had the feeling she'd accidentally left something behind.

In truth, she was preoccupied with her anger...anger at Logan for needing her the way he did...and anger at herself for allowing herself to slip up the way she did. She'd fallen back into his bed again...and she was kicking herself for it.

She knew that the weeks that followed would be the longest weeks of her life.

During the trip, Remy noticed her aloofness, but again, she thought up the brilliant excuse of her being out of her element.

When they returned to the mansion, Marie was relieved when she didn't immediately see Logan. She started to relax a little, and allow herself to let go the fear that she might be pregnant...until that evening.

Remy had his arm wrapped around her neck and pulled her face to his lips for a playful, affectionate kiss against her temple as they walked into the dining room.

Marie laughed a little and smiled, but her demeanor noticeably stiffened as Logan locked eyes with hers across the room.

Remy noticed and kissed her temple again, "You alright, belle?"

"Yeah. Just starvin' that's all..."

She gave Logan another look as Remy guided her to the buffet table.

Logan watched them intently. His expression was mostly unreadable, but she could sense the underlying shadow of anger growing in his eyes.

Marie tried to ignore him, but the intensity of his gaze proved to be too much. She just wished he would disappear again.

After that, Logan pretty much figured out what the deal with Marie and Remy was on his own. He didn't want to raise eyebrows by asking around...and he didn't want to look like a desperate asshole by cornering her and making her tell him what was going on with that swamp rat.

He gave her her space...although he was still dealing with emotional turmoil that he felt she could only support him through

About a month after his initial return, Marie was tasked with going to the store to purchase snacks and candy for an upcoming movie night.

Everyone was busy with other tasks, so she was forced to go by herself. In reality, she was relieved she had to go alone...she could finally get that damn pregnancy test she'd been stressing about.

It had been raining that night, so as she lugged two giant, full, damp paper grocery bags into the kitchen, one broke open and spilled its contents onto the floor. She cursed and knelt down to pick everything up.

Logan squatted down in front of her and started helping her. She paused as he handed her a carton of milk duds that had fallen to the ground.

She looked into his eyes for a moment, then grabbed the candy from his hand and murmured thanks.

She was so preoccupied with picking up the other contents, she didn't realize that Logan had picked up the pregnancy test and was staring at it.

Marie froze in place when she saw him looking at it, but suddenly snatched it out of his hand and stood, stuffing it into her purse.

He stood behind her, "You and Remy?"

She brushed some hair out of her face and turned around, "Excuse me?"

"You need that...cause of you...and Remy, right?"

Marie lowered her voice and huffed a little, "No. Remy and I haven't...taken that step yet."

"Holy shit. Are you sayin'..."

She nodded and began putting the snacks away, "Unfortunately, yes."

"Shit. But I thought you were-"

"I was...but after the last time you and I...I got off of the pill because I didn't have any realistic prospects and I promised myself I wouldn't do that with you again...but I did...and here we are."

Logan stepped closer, "When are you gonna take it?"

Marie looked at him, and, despite his gruff demeanor, she could tell that he was worried, so she decided to cut him some slack, "As soon as I finish putting this stuff away."

With that, Logan sprung into action. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen groceries put away so quickly and with such precision.

Five minutes later, she was sitting down beside Logan on his bed, holding her pregnancy test.

He rubbed his hands over his legs nervously, "How long did it say you have to wait?"

"Five minutes."

"Alright."

She bit her lip, "Sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's ok...I understand. It looks like you got a good thing goin' with Remy."

Marie nodded, "He's a good guy."

There was moment of silence before he suddenly spoke, "What if it's positive?"

It was more of a statement to himself than a question. She surmised that he was thinking out loud.

Marie just shook her head, "I don't want to think about that right now. It's still early if it is...so it can be easily taken care of."

"Wow. You took a whole five seconds to make that decision."

She stood and threw her hands up before yelling, "What the hell do you expect me to do, Logan?"

"I don't know!" he stood and yelled back. The stared each other down for some time before Logan found it within himself to calm down. He sighed and looked down, "I expect you to take some time to make the decision."

"I don't need time to make the decision. I'm too young. I have the chance for a full, happy life. It would be crazy of me to have a baby with a man who can't stay in one spot for more than a month at a time."

He narrowed his eyes, "Is that the only reason why the idea repulses you?"

Marie furrowed her brows in confusion, "What are you talkin' about?"

"I don't blame you...I wouldn't wanna reproduce with an animal either."

She let out a breath as she looked down and softened her demeanor, "That's not it and you know it." Logan plopped back down on the bed, obviously not believing her. She sat next to him, "You don't want this. I know you don't...so why don't you tell me the real reason why you're actin' like this?"

Logan looked at her and contemplated spilling his guts, but in the end, he decided to put his guard back up, "You're right, kid. I don't want it. Neither one of us need it. I guess it's just the animal in me..."

Marie sighed and looked at the clock, "It's been five minutes."

Logan handed her the instructions as she looked down at the test.

She closed her eyes in relief, "Negative."

He breathed out and nodded, "Alright."

Marie slowly stood and cleared her throat, "Would you mind throwin' all that away?" she said as she gestured toward the test and box.

Logan nodded, "Yeah."

She made her way to the door, but stopped, "We shouldn't do this anymore. I care about Remy...and he cares about me...and I think that we might have a real future."

He nodded, "Fine."

As soon as Marie was gone, he angrily threw the pregnancy test and box across the room. He didn't want to have a kid...but the knowledge that, one day, she would probably have the swamp rat's kid, and be happy about it, infuriated him.

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**Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

Two weeks later, Remy took Marie out for a romantic dinner...and to talk to her about possibly taking their relationship to the next level. She enviously stared at his glass of wine as she sipped her water. He set his wine glass down and cleared his throat before he started talking, "Belle...I need ta ask ya somethin'."

"Sure baby...what's up?"

He leaned forward, "We've been goin' out fa several months now...and I'm not tryin' ta pressure ya...but I gotta ask if ya one of dem 'wait til marriage' types."

Marie bit her lip. She and Remy had engaged in multiple, steaming hot make out sessions that had ended with poor Remy frustrated, so she wasn't surprised that this was coming up.

She shook her head, "I'm...I'm not a virgin, Remy..."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "Then why-"

Marie held up a hand and sighed, "I'm sorry. I just...I guess I feel like sex complicates things and I'm afraid it'll ruin what we have."

Remy leaned forward and gently ran a thumb over her knuckles, "I won't let nothin' ruin what we have, belle...especially not sex."

She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. The guilt she felt over cheating on him was gnawing at her, but she felt like she might have the chance to move on with him without worrying about Logan coming back to bite her in the ass.

Within two days, Marie and Remy had consummated their relationship.

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Logan contemplated leaving the mansion for good, but his pride refused to allow him to show Marie that she had that much power over him.

He could continue to come and go as he always had...even if every time he returned, he would have to contend with the fact that she and Remy had grown closer and probably taken their relationship to the next level.

Logan left about a month after the pregnancy test incident, and didn't return for a year.

Soon after his return, he realized that Marie had moved into Remy's room and that the two were effectively sharing a life together.

He knew things had gotten serious when the swamp rat, who he'd managed to steer clear from for the most part, approached to ask if he could attend the surprise birthday party he was throwing for Marie.

"I don't really do birthday parties, LeBeau", Logan said as he stepped around the man and started to walk away.

Remy rushed to catch up with Logan and once again stood in front of him, stopping him in his tracks, "Look, wolf-man...I know you an' me ain't neva been close...but folks 'roun here know how important ya are ta my Marie...I wanna make this birthday unforgettable fa her...and I know it'd mean a lot ta her if ya could be there."

As much as he hated Remy...and the fact that Marie was with him, he couldn't dispute the fact that the swamp rat had a damn compelling argument. How could he outright refuse?

Logan cleared his throat, "I'll see what I can do."

Remy thanked him and rushed off, leaving Logan to try to figure out a way to get through a party that was sure to be full of Remy and Marie PDA.

The day of the party, Logan spent all day helplessly roaming the mall, until a kindly saleswoman in a jewelry store decided to take pity on him and offer assistance.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?"

He looked over the jewelry displays, "Uhhh...it's my friend's birthday...she's a...she."

"Is this 'friend' a romantic interest?"

Logan hesitated for a moment, "Uhhh...no."

The woman smirked, "I notice a bit of hesitation there...how about we just look at some simple pieces? Since things are obviously complicated, you want to keep things casual and inexpensive."

She led him to a glass display case that had several necklaces in it. Immediately, Logan spotted something through the glass, "There. How much is that?"

The saleswoman unlocked the back of the display case and opened it, reaching in, "This? The 'M' pendant necklace?"

"Yeah. How much?"

She checked the tag, "You're in luck. This one's only $99."

"I'll take it", he said as he pulled out his wallet.

The saleswoman continued to admire the piece as looked for a box underneath the counter, "It's a great value...sterling silver and see here?" she held it up and pointed to the M, "Those are tiny little emeralds...simple, yet with a small touch of luxury."

Logan glanced at his watch, "Yeah...I'm kinda in a hurry here..."

After paying for the necklace, Logan set off on an attempt to remember which store he'd entered through so that he could find his damn bike. He began thinking about the look on Marie's face when she received it...and he suddenly became excited.

Wanting to make the most of the evening, he stopped off at a men's store on his way out of the mall and bought himself his first brand new shirt in five years. Then, on the way home, he bought a bouquet of flowers.

After showering and getting dressed, he realized he probably missed the "surprise" aspect of the party, but he didn't care. He just wanted to show up and see the look on her face when she saw her flowers and necklace.

Logan made his way to the backyard, where the pool area was all decked out for Marie's party. He found it curious that he didn't hear music and everyone was standing still, staring at something that was happening at the head of the pool, where her birthday cake table was.

His enhanced hearing allowed him to stand in the back and listen to what was going on.

Logan watched as Remy held Marie's hand and spoke to the gathered crowd that dotted the yard and pool area, "I jus wanted ta thank all y'all for helpin' me pull off this surprise for ma lady here...this truly is a special night...and it ain't just cause it's ya birthday..." He took a deep breath and knelt in front of her. Logan's heart clenched in his chest as Marie gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. Remy reached up and gently pulled her left hand away from her mouth, "Belle...ain't a day gone by that I been with ya where I didn't have ta pinch myself ta realize I wasn't dreamin'. Ya more than I ever even dared ta dream...and I love ya more than I ever loved anyone. Would ya mind doin' me the honor of marryin' me?"

Logan's head drooped as he watched Marie eagerly nod her head. Remy slipped a ring onto her finger and stood to kiss her.

The crowd erupted in cheers as the newly engaged couple embraced and kissed once more.

He stood behind the laughing, smiling party guests, unable to tear his eyes away from Marie as she was bum rushed by Jubilee and Kitty, offering their congratulations and grabbing her hand in an effort to take a look at her ring.

Marie spotted Logan just as he turned to rush away from the party. He moved behind a tall block of hedges in an effort to catch his breath. He looked at the flowers in his hand and growled as he threw them into a trash bin before turning to head inside, but her voice stopped him.

"Logan?"

He turned around, hiding the necklace box behind his back, "Yeah..."

"I saw you...I'm surprised you're here."

Logan shrugged, "Well, it's your birthday..."

She rubbed the ring and bit her bottom lip as she realized he was hiding something behind his back, "What's that?"

"What's what?"

Marie smiled a little, then tried to move behind him, but he turned with her, keeping the object behind his back and her effectively blocked from being able to reach it. She laughed and grabbed behind his back again, but he moved again. She put her hands on the box, "Come on! It's against the rules to keep things from the birthday girl!"

He slowly relented and handed her the box, "It's just a stupid little somethin'."

She opened the box and gasped, "Logan...it's beautiful. Thank you...really." He nodded wordlessly as she looked up at him, "I know this is probably a little weird...but it means a lot that you came. You showin' up tonight to a party Remy planned...and knowin' _what_ he had planned shows that we can move on...and maybe be good friends again."

It wasn't until that moment that Logan realized Marie thought that he knew Remy had planned to propose to her that night.

Rather than admit the truth, he nodded, "Yeah, kid...we'll always be friends..."

"Are you gonna stay? Maybe grab a bite to eat and watch Scott try to dance?"

"I was actually on my way out...just wanted to drop your present off", he lied.

Marie heard her name get called through the hedges and sighed, "I guess I should go then..."

He nodded nonchalantly as she started to walk back around the hedges to rejoin the party, but she stopped, turned around and walked back over to him to plant a gentle kiss on his cheek, "Thanks again for the necklace..."

He tried to fight the painful thudding in his chest as he nodded and cleared his throat to keep his voice from cracking as a result of the pain he felt, "No problem, kid...and congrats."

Logan felt his heart sink as he walked to the edge of the row of tall hedges to watch her as she rejoined the party...and her new fiance.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter...or, well, seeing that Marie got engaged to Remy, I hope you TOLERATED this chapter, LOL. Don't worry. More inappropriate ROGAN interaction is coming your way! Fret not and keep the flame throwers 'off'.**

**This is a story that's more so about them constantly finding their way back to each other...whether it's good or bad...right or wrong...so you're going to see them stray away from each other quite a bit in this story. I like that though! It makes the angst factor that much higher!**

**Review please!**


	8. Chapter 8

Soon after Marie's birthday/engagement party, she began training to be a full time member of the X Men. Both she and the professor knew that she was ready...and Logan finally agreed with Remy on something...neither of them wanted to see her putting her life on the line, no matter how nobel the cause.

Being her usual, head strong self, Marie ignored pleas from both men to give joining the team more thought and continued with her intensive training. Logan decided to help train her, as well as Kitty, much to Scott's annoyance. Despite the fact that he was completely against the idea, he knew that, at least if_ he_ trained her, he would know that she would be outfitted with every single dirty trick he knew.

She and Remy were two months away from their wedding when the professor got word that the brotherhood planned to attack a museum benefit that was being attended by the president.

The team suited up and began rushing down to the jet. Logan almost ran into Marie as he rounded the corner to head to the hangar. She stopped in her tracks and cursed, "Shit...you too."

Obviously, she knew he was about to throw a hissy fit about her joining them on the mission.

"What the hell are you doin', kid?"

Remy jogged up behind her, "Belle, try ta listen ta reason!"

Logan immediately deduced that Remy had already been begging her to stay home for the past few minutes.

He looked at Remy and gave a nod, "You should listen to your fiance, kid."

She glared at both men, "You're both bein' ridiculous. If you get to go play hero, I get to go too. I have the training and the motivation, so take your chauvinistic, over protective bull shit and shove it."

She left both men staring after her dumbfounded as she walked into the hangar.

Logan and Remy exchanged looks before following her to the jet, where they boarded and set off to DC.

By the time they arrived, the stand off was still in full effect, and negotiators had been unable to get through to the Brotherhood. Jean activated stealth mode while Storm landed the jet behind the museum.

Scott stood, "Rogue, you come with me, Storm, Kitty and Logan to cover the back. Remy, Jean, Hank and Jubilee...you take the side entrance."

Logan tried not to look hurt when Remy kissed her lips and pressed his forehead to hers, "Ya be careful, love...take care of yaself...remember everythin' ya learned in trainin'..."

Marie nodded, "I got it. I'm good."

Remy cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes for a moment before following Jean, Hank and Jubilee off the jet.

When Remy was gone, Logan approached, "Keep your head straight, kid. You wanna be here...you better stay focused."

Marie gave a professional, affirmative nod before filing off the jet behind Scott and Kitty.

The team knew that, since they were entering through side and back entrances, they wouldn't see many people, but the place looked like it was deserted.

A chill ran down Marie's spine as the entered the dark stairwell. Logan grabbed her and pushed her behind him, obviously sensing something.

"What is it?" she whispered as Scott, Storm and Kitty stopped to look at him.

He looked at her, "Sabertooth."

Other than the professor, she was the only other person who knew that Logan was related to the villainous mutant. She also knew that Logan hadn't faced him since finding out about their familial connection.

They made their way down to the main level of the museum and found a couple of unconscious guards, gagged and bound.

Scott tasked Kitty and Storm with getting the injured guards to safety, then continued on with Logan and Marie through the food court.

Logan whispered, "Scott...stop."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Logan spoke through clenched teeth as his claws slid out of his knuckles, "Scott...I said, stop walking..."

Suddenly, Sabertooth leapt out of nowhere and grabbed Scott by the neck before tossing him like a rag doll. The leader slammed against a wall and crumpled down to the floor in an unconscious heap.

Logan charged forward with claws fully unsheathed, but Sabertooth stealthily dodged the angry attack. The harrier mutant smirked and growled as Logan swung at him, seemingly enraged by the creature's sheer presence.

Finally, Logan's claws caught Sabertooth in the shoulder, causing him to roar in pain. Logan growled, "You knew all along...why didn't you say anything?"

Sabertooth grinned evilly, "Because I loved watching you suffer, runt."

Despite the pain Sabertooth was obviously in, he grabbed the wrist that was connected to the clawed hand that was currently impaling his shoulder, then body slammed Logan into a nearby table, causing it to completely shatter under his weight.

Logan, who was slightly dazed by the attack, struggled to his feet. Sabertooth advanced on him again, but Marie laid a powerful kick to his back, knocking him forward a few feet into a fruit display.

Sabertooth growled as he turned around, "Pretty girl come to play? I'm gonna have to have some fun with you when this is all over..."

By now, Logan was able to get back to his feet and resume the fight with Sabertooth as Marie took the opportunity to rush over to check on the still unconscious Scott.

The epic battle between the two ferals took them into the kitchen and out of Marie's line of sight as she worked to rouse Scott.

She heard crashes, growls and yelling before everything fell silent.

Marie stood and slowly made her way over to the hole that Logan and Sabertooth had created when they crashed through the wall.

Suddenly, Sabertooth charged through the wall and grabbed Marie by her neck before slamming her onto a table. He growled into her face as she struggled for air and leaned in to greedily smell her neck, "Mmmm...I'm gonna make you scream, baby."

He released her when Logan stabbed him from behind. Marie took advantage of his stunned state, and quickly punched him in the throat, then kicked him into the stomach, causing him to double over.

When he recovered, he swiped at Marie. Before Logan could fully push her out of the way, Sabertooth's claws were able to leave a nasty scratch on the side of her stomach.

Marie cried out and gripped her wound as she fell against the wall. Logan, enraged by her injury, took a brief moment to ensure she was alright before re-engaging Sabertooth in their fight.

It didn't take long before he got the upper hand and caused the hairier feral enough energy to incapacitate him.

Logan grabbed some rope that had been used to rope off some exhibits, then quickly hogtied the large feral as Marie helped Scott, who was now recovering his consciousness, to his feet.

Knowing Scott would be fine, Logan focused all of his attention on Marie as he pressed his hand against the side of her stomach where the rip in her uniform was, "You ok, kid?"

Marie nodded, "Just a nasty scratch."

"Turn on your powers, kid. Heal yourself."

She shook her head and swatted his hand away, "No."

He grabbed her hand, "Do it."

"No! Logan, why are we even arguin' about this? It's a scratch! I'm fine! We're in the middle of a damn fight!"

Scott rubbed the side of his head, "If you two are done arguing like an old married couple...I'm sure we have some other bad guys to fight. Rogue- you sure you're alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

Scott turned back to Logan, "You heard the woman. Let's go."

In the meantime, Kitty and Storm rejoined them. The rest of the team was already engaging with the other Brotherhood members at the side entrance of the museum. By the time they regrouped with the other team members, they were able to assist in helping dispatch the last of Magneto's remaining crew.

They weren't able to stick around to check to make sure everyone was alright because Logan was able to detect the sound of sirens approaching.

As they rushed out the entrance that Logan and Marie originally came through, they were shocked to see nothing but loose rope in the spot where Logan had left a tied up Sabertooth.

When they reached the jet, Remy grabbed Marie to check her over for wounds. He flipped out when he noticed the tear in her uniform, "What the hell happened here?"

"I'm fine. It's nothing...really."

Jean took a brief look at Marie's side, "I'll have to bring you down to the med bay to take a look at it. Just in case."

Marie nodded and cringed a little as she sat down in her seat.

When they reached the mansion, Logan followed Remy, Hank, Jean and Marie down to the med lab.

He tried not to stare too hard when Marie stripped out of the top part of her uniform to reveal an almost sheer white tank underneath. He was horrified, however, when he saw that the bottom right side of the tank top was soaked in blood.

"Holy shit, kid! I thought you said it wasn't bad?" he exclaimed as he took an involuntary step forward. Only the sight of Remy clutching Marie's hand stopped him from moving toward her any further.

"I'm fine", she said tensely as Jean carefully lifted up the fabric to get a better look at her wounds.

After further examination, the redhead sighed, "I'm going to clean you up...but it looks like you'll be needing some stitches..."

Marie groaned as Jean gingerly began cleaning her wounds. Logan clenched his fists together as he watched her try to hide the pain she felt...and as he watched Remy comfort her.

As much it pained him to watch her get the stitched and get cleaned up, he stayed so that he could verify that she was alright with his own eyes.

As soon as she was bandaged, he quietly slipped from the medlab to go to his room. He showered and tried to lay down to get some shut eye, but he had to be sure Marie was alright.

When he returned to the med lab, Marie was alone and putting on a sweat shirt, preparing to go back up to her room. She gave him a half smile, "Comin' to yell at me for gettin' hurt?"

"No." She gave him a questioning look, which prompted him to grumble, "I was...but now I just wanna know if you're ok..."

She shrugged, "Sore, but the same barrel o' laughs I usually am."

"I don't want you goin' on anymore missions, kid."

Marie sat down on the edge of the med lab table, "Not your call, Wolverine."

"It is my call if I'm the one who let this happen."

She narrowed her eyes, "You think you let this happen? You _prevented_ more from happenin', Logan. If you hadn't pushed me outta the way, y'all woulda been plannin' my funeral."

He suddenly felt sick to his stomach at that thought and closed his eyes before turning away, "Don't say shit like that, kid..."

Marie noticed how bothered he was by her statement and cocked her head to the side for a brief moment, then decided to change subjects, "You OK after seein' Victor?"

Logan turned back around to face her and shook his head, "No...but I'll get over it."

She nodded and stood before slowly walking over to him, "Good ole, thick skinned, Wolverine. Nothin' ever bothers you for more than a couple of hours..." Marie paused and looked up into his eyes when she stood barely a foot in front of him, "You know I'm here for you...you can talk to me..."

Logan stared down into her chocolate brown orbs, "I know, kid..."

When she pursed her lips together pensively, he couldn't resist her anymore. He quickly grabbed her face with one of his large hands and snatched her lips to his, kissing her hungrily.

Marie shook her head and murmured as she broke the kiss, but could do very little to separate her lips from Logan's as he continued holding her face to his.

"No...please...I can't", she whispered, placing a hand on his chest in a futile attempt to create some space between them.

He looked down into her pleading eyes, "Sorry..."

Marie nodded as he released her and allowed her to take a step away from him.

Almost as soon as they separated, Remy walked into the room. Nothing the tenseness that still hung in the air, he looked between the two suspiciously, "Everythin' alright in here, belle?"

She nodded, "Logan was just leavin'."

Logan nodded, "Just wanted to check on the patient..."

Remy kissed Marie's head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he looked back at him, "Don'tcha worry wolf-man...I'll take good care o'her."

As he walked away, Logan rolled his eyes and tried to fight the feeling of nausea that rose in his stomach at the thought of Remy "taking care" of Marie.

* * *

**Review please! I'm thinking about applying a twist to this...I already have a couple more chapters written, but I am thinking about doing some things I've never done before!**


	9. Chapter 9

Her wedding arrived sooner than he could have imagined...or hoped.

Logan told himself over and over again that he would let her be...he would be happy for her, and he would suffer in solemn silence as she married the man she loved and who loved her.

Of course, he didn't attend the wedding.

He'd conveniently left the mansion a couple of days prior.

As usual, he hit the cage fighting circuit and ended up with a boat load of cash that he had absolutely nothing to spend on, save for the occasional six pack, gas and motel rooms.

When he the professor contacted him several months later, requesting his return for a series of missions, Logan was confused. With Remy, and Marie's entire graduating class now able to assist the "older" X Men on missions, they should have plenty of help."

"Why do you need me, Chuck?"

The older man sighed, "Scott and Hank are in London, training a team there for the next month. Katherine and Jubilee are on vacation with the Prydes, and Rogue..." The professor paused for a long time before continuing, "...Rogue is indisposed."

Logan knew there was something strange about the way the professor spoke about her, but, of course, he refused to probe.

"Fine. I'll be back in a couple of days."

Just as he promised, he was walking into the doors of the mansion 43 hours later.

Before he even had the chance to drop off his stuff in his room, he met with the professor, Storm, Jean, Remy and the other team members in the office. Marie was noticeably absent.

When everyone began filing out of the office after the meeting, he saw Marie greet Remy with a casual kiss to the lips just down the hall.

She looked even more beautiful than he remembered.

He was so engrossed with staring at her, he didn't have the ability to avert his eyes when Marie turned to look at him.

Remy followed her eyes, "Didn't know he was comin' back, belle?"

She shook her head, "No..."

"Well. It's a good thing. We need all the help we gonna get if we gonna keep ole Mags straight. Ready fa supper?"

Marie patted his hand, "Could you get my coat from the room? Forecast calls for snow tonight."

"Sure thang."

When Remy rushed away, Marie slowly walked over to Logan, "Welcome back."

"Thanks", he said with an awkward smile, which he soon dropped in favor of his usual scowl when he remembered there were other people around. His smile belonged to her and her alone.

They stood there, in uncomfortable silence for several moments before he cleared his throat, "How's married life treatin' you, kid?"

Marie fidgeted and nervously clasped her hands together, "It's good...great, even."

Logan gave a nod in an attempt to hide his disappointment. He had honestly hoped her marriage was miserable...then maybe, she'd get out of it.

"Good to know. Well...I'm gonna go settle in."

He started to walk away, but Marie stopped him, "Um...Logan. I have something to tell you-"

Remy's voice cut Marie off, "Alright milady...here's ya coat. Ya ready?"

She gave Logan one last look before nodding, "Sure."

Logan watched her go and sighed as he made his way back to his room.

Later that night, he decided to go to the gym to work off some of the tension that he was feeling now that he was under the same roof as Marie and her...husband.

He dropped the weight to the floor and shook his head. It had been months, but he still couldn't get used to saying it...even in his own head.

_Marie was married._

Logan shook his head again and ran a hand through his hair. It didn't feel right.

When he was done working out, he stopped off in the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. He was slightly surprised to see Marie sitting at the table with a plate of sliced apples and an open book.

"Hey..." she said with a timid smile

He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and turned around as he leaned against the counter and opened it, "Why are you up so late, kid?"

"I've been havin' a hard time sleepin'."

Logan took a gulp of water, "Somethin' on your mind?"

"Yeah. A lot, actually," she said as she ran a hand over the book.

She slowly closed it and looked up at Logan, whose eyes fell down to the cover. His breath caught in his throat when he read it.

**'What to Expect When You're Expecting'**

Marie pursed her lips, "I wanted to tell you myself."

He forgot how to breathe for a moment before he slowly cleared his throat, "Um...so...you're pregnant?"

"Only the professor and Hank know...and Remy of course," she said as she laughed nervously.

Logan straightened and looked down at his water bottle for a while before looking back up, "When did you...how far along are you?"

"Only about 7 weeks. It was a surprise..."

He nodded and turned around before setting his water bottle down and placing his palms against the counter.

"I'll say", he muttered.

Obviously, his reaction was far from that of an excited friend.

Feeling hurt by his response to her big news, she moved to stand next to him, "Logan...why-"

When he looked at her, he worked hard not to allow the pain he was feeling in his heart to show up in his eyes, "Don't ask me why I'm not exactly jumpin' for joy at this news, kid. For fuck's sake..." Logan shook his head and looked away as he ran a hand through his hair. Unable to look back into her eyes, he stood there, with his hands on his hips and staring at the floor before he spoke quietly, "...don't tell me you don't know why..."

He left without another word.

* * *

He didn't intend on speaking to her until days later, when walking past her room, he heard raised voices.

Logan paused, ready to burst in and rip Remy's throat out for daring to raise his voice at Marie, but after a moment of listening, he realized it was Marie's angry voice that was the angrier and more raised of the two.

"You said you took care of this! How do you expect me to react?" she yelled.

"Cher, I signed the papers...it ain't my fault if she didn't file 'em."

"You didn't think it was odd when you didn't receive notification that your divorce was final, LeBeau?" she quickly retorted.

"I told ya how fast I left N'awlins...I just wanted ta get away from her."

He heard Marie sigh, then the mattress creak, signaling that she'd sat down on the bed, "We're havin' a baby, Remy...and now...our marriage might not even be legal. You can't blame me for takin' this hard."

The mattress creaked again, telling Logan that Remy probably sat down next to her, "I'mma handle this before the baby gets here, cher...I promise." Logan heard Marie sniffle as Remy continued, "I'mma fix this, baby...please...don't cry."

A long silence was followed by the sound of her voice, which was nothing more than a pitiful whisper, "What is her name?"

Remy seemed to hesitate before answering, "Bella Donna..."

Logan wanted to be happy about the conversation he'd overheard, but he couldn't be. Marie was hurting, and because of that, he felt awful for her.

He wished he could gut the damn swamp rat for causing her the pain she was obviously in, but since he'd eavesdropped on an obviously private conversation, he had to play it cool.

Two nights later, Logan was pulling on his gloves outside the hangar doors when he spotted Remy saying goodbye to Marie. The X Men were on their way to stop a kidnapping attempt on the Vice President.

Despite her obvious anger toward her "husband", Marie knew that he was about to embark on a mission that would place him in mortal danger, so she was clearly putting aside her feelings to wish him well.

Logan looked away just as the couple embraced and kissed.

The mission went well, and all X Men managed to escape unscathed.

A week later, Remy left to go handle some "personal matters". Logan assumed the swamp rat had returned to New Orleans to handle his unfinished business with his real wife.

That night, Logan made his way over to Marie's table as she sat in the dining room, eating dinner, "This seat taken, kid?"

She shook her head and favored him with a polite smile, "Nope."

After he sat down, they started to talk at the same time. Marie laughed nervously and sighed, "Sorry...you go ahead."

Logan looked around, "I just...I just wanted to apologize to you, kid. I acted like an ass when you told me your big news, and...when it comes down to it, you're the only real friend I've ever had, and I just want you to be happy. You deserve it..."

Marie reached across the table to place a hand atop his, "Thank you, Logan...that means a lot to me."

Finally, they were on semi-regular speaking terms for the first time in, what felt like, forever.

They talked until the dining room emptied out and Logan suggested she head to bed cause he "heard pregnant women needed extra rest".

Before leaving, Marie stopped and turned around, "Wanna go to breakfast tomorrow?"

"Sure, kid."

She smiled, "Great...9am. Don't be late. I'm starvin' in the mornings and you do NOT wanna come between me and my meals."

Logan chuckled as she walked away.

The next morning, Logan was waiting at the bottom of the main stairwell at 9am.

He didn't think of it when a few minutes passed, but when it was nearly 9:45, and Marie still had yet to show up, he knew something was up, so he made his way to her room.

Logan figured she must have slept in or something, so he knocked on her door.

When he was met with silence, he knocked again.

More silence.

"Marie?" he called, knocking more urgently.

He heard the faintest sound from inside her room and slowly turned the handle before stepping inside. After closing the door behind him, he looked around the room, and was immediately drawn to the bathroom, where he heard the sound of sniffling.

The door was just slightly ajar, so he approached cautiously and called her name, "Marie? You ok in there?"

When he didn't get an answer, he slowly pushed open the door and found her in her nightgown, sitting on the edge of the tub with her arms tightly crossed across her stomach as she rocked back and forth. Her eyes were red and swollen and tears were steadily streaming down her face as she desperately tried to catch her breath between sobs.

He started to step forward, but immediately noticed the blood on the floor in front of her. She continued to rock back and forth and managed to speak through breathless sobs, "I...can't...stop...bleeding...I'm bleeding..."

Logan immediately went into crisis mode and desperately tried to stay calm for her sake, "Ok...ok, kid...it'll be alright."

He grabbed a blanket off of her bed before wrapping it around her and picking her up, cradling her tightly against his chest.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest as he quickly carried her to the garage.

Quick thinking told him to take her to the emergency room, since the only doctor currently in the mansion was Jean, and he knew that Marie didn't really like the redhead.

He took her to the emergency room, where, luckily, they were able to whisk her directly in to be seen since there was hardly anyone there.

Logan slowly paced back and forth in the waiting room and hallway for a total of two hours before a nurse came out, looking around the waiting room. She approached him slowly, "Did you come in with Marie D'Ancanto?"

He nodded quickly, "Yeah. How is she?"

"We're about to discharge her, so if you want to pull the car around, she should be ready in a few minutes."

Logan nodded and stuttered a little, "Oh..oh okay."

He pulled the car up to the entrance, then got out and opened the passenger side door just inside to see the nurse wheel Marie out in a wheel chair. She looked completely zoned out and numb.

The nurse started to help coax Marie out of the wheel chair, but Logan approached, "I got her", then gingerly lifted her out of the wheel chair and set her in the car.

After he buckled her in and closed the car door, the nurse leaned forward and whispered, "Physically, she's going to be fine...but emotionally, she's going to need a lot of TLC."

Logan nodded. That confirmed it. Marie had miscarried...and the man who should be holding her hand was hundreds of miles away, trying to end a marriage that should have been over years ago.

After Logan sat down in the car, he looked at her, "Do you want me to call Remy?"

Marie numbly shook her head as she stared straight through the windshield, "No. I'll do it...later."

He nodded and drove her back to the mansion. When they arrived, he carried her up to her room through the back entrance and managed to avoid being seen.

Logan waited outside the bathroom as she showered, then helped her back into bed when she was done.

As he covered her up, she grabbed his wrist, "I feel like I'm fallin' apart..."

He shook his head and brushed her hair off her forehead, "I know it feels that way now, darlin'...but I promise that this ain't the the end of you."

Her tears started anew as she shook her head, "I'm not even really married..."

Logan had to play dumb. He didn't want to upset her any further by admitting he'd spied on her, so he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "What at you talking about?"

Marie sniffled and wiped at her face, "He was once married to this woman...Bella Donna...and apparently, he asked for a divorce, which she agreed to. He signed the papers, had them couriered to her house for her signature and she claimed she would file them...he left before he received the notification of the finalization of the divorce. I guess he just assumed it was done..."

"But it wasn't?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head as she covered her face and began crying again, "I thought I had happiness...but it's fallin' apart before my eyes..."

He didn't know what else to say, so he just stayed until she fell asleep.

While she was asleep, he got her something to eat then brought it back up to her room. When she woke up, he gently reminded her to call Remy.

"I don't know what to say to him..."

He grasped her hand, "Just tell him the truth."

"Can you gimme a moment?"

Logan nodded, "Sure, kid. I'll be just outside if you need me."

As promised, he waited outside for nearly 30 minutes before he faintly heard her call his name from inside of her door. When he re-entered the room, her eyes were wet again, "What did he say?"

"He's catchin' the next flight home..."

Logan nodded, "Good. He needs to be with you...what about the other thing?"

"He said he couldn't find her..." Marie looked down, then back up at him with wet eyes, "Could you stay with me til he gets home?"

He sat down on the edge of the bed, "Sure, kid."

When Remy walked into the room early the next morning, he found Marie asleep in bed, and Logan sleeping in the arm chair across from her.

When the floor panels creaked below his weight, Logan's eyes popped open. He quickly sat up, but relaxed upon remembering that he was, in fact, in Remy's room. He nodded silently at the man, gathered up his jacket and stood. Remy stopped him, "Thanks fa takin' care of her...I know she must be pretty broken up."

Logan nodded, "Don't mention it."

He went back to his room for a shower and more sleep. As he showered, he figured he would stay at the mansion for a while this time.

Marie needed him, and regardless of who she may or may not be married to, he was going to be there for her.

* * *

**This was a very emotional chapter to write! I hope you liked it. Please review and give me your guesses as to what you think is going to happen next? Will Remy get his divorce? Will Marie decide to stay with him or move on with Logan?**

**Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the long delay. I hope this chapter was worth the wait!**

_"Thanks for takin' care of her...I know **she** must be pretty broken up."_

Logan didn't realize why that statement struck him as odd for a while.

It dawned on him that he hadn't seen Remy and Marie together in the hallways at all. If he did see them out in public together, they weren't nearly as affectionate as he'd forced himself to get used to, but for Marie's sake, he tried not to openly interfere. She wanted to be with Remy, and, for the most part, he'd accepted it.

That would probably explain why he was thrown for a loop when he realized they were having problems.

He didn't know how hard Remy was working to find Bella Donna so that he could end his marriage, but he knew that they were now 3 months out from his trip to New Orleans, and he had yet to bring Marie any closer to being his legal wife.

And then, of course, there was the miscarriage.

It definitely affected Marie more profoundly that anything he'd seen her go through.

Even her actual death and return to life on Liberty Island didn't seem to scar and change her as much as her miscarriage did.

It seemed like her spark had died, and he didn't know how to help her reignite it. He took every opportunity he could in order to try to make her smile or laugh, but most efforts were met with a polite smirk and a demure nod of the head.

She refused to talk to anyone. She refused counseling, and she was quickly becoming a master at denial and diversion.

He knew that she needed to talk about her loss in order to truly recover, but she remained tight lipped.

It broke his heart that she seemed so unhappy.

It wasn't until he ran into her when he was about to work out in the gym did he decide to take drastic measures in helping push her out of her funk.

She'd just done about 4 miles on the treadmill and was helping herself to a bottle of water, "What's up, kid?"

"Nothin'. Just gearin' up for our next mission."

Logan sighed, "So you're back on the team?"

Marie wiped some sweat off of her forehead with the towel and looked down, "There's no longer any reason why I shouldn't be..."

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, "Look, kid...I didn't wanna say anything, but I think you should talk to someone about what you went through."

She snorted defiantly, "Yeah. Right."

"I'm serious, Marie."

"So I guess you're the authority on mental health and emotional crises, huh?"

Logan pushed off the wall and shook his head, "No, but I-"

Marie angrily interrupted and pointed a finger in his face, "You don't have any goddamn right to tell me what I should do or how I should handle my...situation!"

He took a confident step forward, "You need to talk to someone, kid. You need to let it out."

She laughed mockingly, "And who should I talk to? You?"

"If it would make you feel better, yes."

Marie crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, "The only way you can make me feel better is if you help me get back in shape so that I don't get killed on our next mission."

Logan took another step forward, invading her space as he stared down into her eyes, "Fine, kid. If you want your ass kicked, you'll get your ass kicked."

He spent the next two hours working her out harder than she'd ever been worked out in her life.

At the end of the second hour, he had her practicing her kickboxing on the punching bag, but she was growing weaker.

"Come on, kid! Put some back into it! You couldn't knock over a blind mouse with that kick!" he yelled as he stood behind the bag, holding it in place. Marie cried out as she punched the bag, but it didn't seem good enough for Logan, "What the hell are you holdin' back for?" Marie kicked the bag, but barely managed to nudge it as Logan held it within his strong arms.

She cried out and threw her head back in exasperation, so Logan straightened and looked her square in the eye as she panted and put her hands on her hips, "Marie. I want you to let it all out."

"Let what out?"

"Your anger. Your pain. Your frustration. I want you to release every goddamn ounce of emotion you've pent up in there and let it out on that damn bag." He stepped back behind the bag and took a hold of it, "You ready?"

She nodded before stepping back up to the bag and began to lay punches on it.

"Come on! Let it out! Stop holdin' back! What are you mad at?" When Marie stayed silent, save for grunts of exertion, Logan yelled at her again, "You're barely nudging this bag, kid! Tap into that inner strength! Let it go! What are you feelin'? What are you mad at?"

Marie was giving it her all now. She screamed out as she gave the bag a roundhouse kick, then punched it hard and screamed, "Remy!"

The last two blows had successfully knocked Logan away from the bag and sent it wildly swinging.

By now, she was exhausted beyond comprehension, so she simply crumpled to the ground, sobbing and panting.

Logan, relieved he'd gotten her to at least admit SOMETHING, slowly and cautiously moved to sit next to her on the floor.

He couldn't tell if what he saw on her face was sweat or tears...probably both.

Marie ripped off the boxing gloves and threw them across the room before drawing her knees closer to her body and resting her forehead on them. Logan placed a hand on her back, "Come on, kid...talk to me."

She was sobbing heavily now, so he gave her the time to collect herself.

Marie wiped her face and sniffled, "When I first told him I was pregnant, he asked if I was sure I wanted to keep it...I mean...what kind of a husband asks his wife that?"

Logan didn't know what to say, so he just shook his head as she continued, "He refused to even look at the sonogram picture I brought home...he said a baby would take away our freedom..."

"What did you feel?"

Marie looked at him with wet eyes, "I know it wasn't the best timing, but I wanted that baby...I wanted it so bad...and knowing that just wasn't enough for him to want it too. I at least expected him to want it for me."

He rubbed her back, "But he's there for you now...right?"

Marie sniffled and shook her head, "When I woke up the morning he got into town, he just rubbed my head and told me it was probably be for the best. Other than that, he acted like it never happened. He pretends he doesn't hear me crying myself to sleep at night." She paused and looked down, "I'm sure the fact that I'm an emotional wreck is really inconvenient for him..."

Logan sighed and shook his head, "I'm sorry, Marie."

She wiped her eyes before looking into his face and slowly leaning in. Logan froze in place as she took his face in her hands and began kissing him.

He almost melted into the kiss, but regained his composure and gently pulled her hands away from his face before breaking the kiss.

"Marie...it's not right. You're doin' this for the wrong reasons."

She looked into his eyes and slowly nodded before sighing in defeat and getting to her feet, "Right...right...I'm sorry."

"S'ok..."

Marie looked at the clock on the wall, "I gotta go."

She left without another word. Logan stared after her for several minutes.

He honestly didn't know he possessed the self control it took to stop that kiss.

* * *

After Marie's confession that Remy wasn't exactly being the picture of support he felt she needed, Logan felt even more protective of her...so he decided to make sure to keep a listen out at her door for any signs that might signal that she needed a shoulder to cry on.

He only hoped his plan wouldn't backfire and he'd end up hearing them having sex.

For the first several nights, things were eerily quiet...and on the fifth night, he would find out why.

During his eavesdropping session that night, he caught them in the middle of a fight.

"Go ahead Remy. Hit the bars again. It's not like you're ever home anymore anyways."

Remy raised his voice, causing Logan's fists to clench, "What'll I come home too? You mopin' 'round here all the damn time like someone died!"

"Someone DID die, Remy!"

"It wasn't a damn person! We're better off anyways!"

"You sonovabitch! I want you OUT!" she screamed before Logan heard a door open and things start hitting the floor. He surmised from the sound patterns that Marie was feverishly yanking Remy's belongings out of the closet and throwing them at him.

"Stop it, Marie! Now you're just bein' crazy!"

"I will SHOW YOU crazy LeBeau!" she screamed before Logan heard the beginnings of a scuffle. He decided he needed to intervene, and fast, so he started to knock on the door, but just before he did, he heard the distinct sounds of Marie's weight hitting the floor and her letting out a small cry of pain.

It only took one of Logan's powerful blows to knock the door clean off its hinges and partially splinter the wood.

He charged in, teeth bared and fists clenched.

Marie, who had been on the floor, was up in a flash and crossing the room in an attempt to stop Logan as he grabbed Remy by the neck and slammed him against the nearest wall.

She grabbed Logan's arm just as he reached back to punch the cajun, "No! Logan! Stop!"

He growled as he squeezed Remy's neck, "He hit you!"

Marie tried, in vain, to pull him away, "He didn't hit me! He pushed me away from him and I tripped over one of his shoes!"

"He pushed you?" he asked as he slowly loosened his grip.

She sighed, "He was just trying to get me away from him...I was pushing him first."

Logan dropped Remy to the ground, then watching with glaring eyes as the cajun slowly stood, coughing and holding his throat. By now, Scott and the professor were in the doorway, surveying the demolished door and the chaotic state of the room.

Marie was beet red now, and Logan felt terrible.

If he hadn't been butting his nose in her business, her dirty laundry wouldn't be aired out for all to see.

The professor's eyes connected with Logan, "May I see you in my office?"

Logan nodded wordlessly before muttering an apology and following Charles out of the room.

When they reached his office, the professor clasped his hands in his lap and raised a brow, "Feel free to offer an explanation."

He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He simply shook his head.

The professor rubbed his temples, "Well, since you're unwilling to talk, I believe it's time for me to let you in on a bit of a secret. The truth is, Logan, you've managed to project quite a few thoughts concerning Marie during your most recent tenure here, and from that, I know that your feelings for her are quite strong. It's not my business to tell, obviously, however, if your feelings for her are going to continue to cause you to act destructively, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"I thought he hit her."

Charles leaned forward, "What were you doing listening at her door in the first place?"

"I...I-she mentioned that Remy wasn't giving her the support she needed after she lost the baby..."

"...and I suppose you believe you could be a better support system for her than her husband?"

"He isn't her-" Logan stopped himself and stood, "Look, I've cared about her for a long time. I made that clear when I risked my life to save her on Liberty Island over a half decade ago. I'm not gonna stop bein' concerned about her just because she married some slick swamp rat. If he's not treating her right, I'm gonna be there for her, no matter who approves or disapproves."

He turned to leave the office, but the professor stopped him, "I know you love her."

Logan turned his head just slightly, "Stay outta my head, Chuck", then left without another word.

The professor sighed and muttered under his breath, "I didn't have to read your thoughts to know that..."

A couple of hours later, Logan was preparing to leave. As he finished putting the last of his items in his bag, he heard a faint knock at his door.

When he opened the door, he was confronted with the one person he was trying to avoid.

"Marie..."

She glanced over his shoulder into his room to spot his backpack and dufflebag on the floor, "I figured you'd be leavin'."

"I'll be outta your hair as soon as I get the rest of my shit packed. I won't be causin' anymore trouble."

He turned around and walked back to his backpack as Marie stepped in and closed the door behind her, "So you weren't gonna bother to say goodbye?"

"I figured that you'd seen enough of me after I broke down your door and almost pummeled your husband to death."

Marie crossed her arms and muttered as she looked down, "He's not my husband..."

Logan turned back to her and furrowed his eyebrows briefly before going back to his dresser and pulling out more clothes, "What's that supposed to mean?"

She sighed, "Nothin'...he just left town for a little bit. We need some time away from each other." She watched him for a few moments before stepping forward, "So...about earlier...you just happened to be walking by my room and heard us arguing?"

He looked at her and stuttered, but she held up a hand, "You've been checkin' in on me...haven't you?"

Logan hesitated before slowly nodding, "Yeah...but it's only cause I've been worried about you. I think you deserve to be taken care of better than what he's..." His voice trailed off as she put her hands on her hips and raised a brow. He ran a hand through his hair, "Sorry. I know it's not my place."

"Don't be sorry...it's been forever since I felt like someone gave a damn. You breakin' down the door and threatening to kill my hu-Remy was the closest I've felt to being protected...cared about..."

He zipped up his bag and spoke without making eye contact. He knew that, the moment he looked into her eyes, he wouldn't be able to hold back, "You deserve to be with someone who makes you feel loved and protected every fuckin' second of every day. Don't ever forget that."

Marie took a few steps closer to him, "Could you make me feel that way?"

She was getting closer now...and Logan wasn't sure he could handle that. He kept his head down and took a step backwards before tossing his backpack over his shoulder, "I gotta go."

He started to walk past her, but her hand on his arm stopped him in his tracks, "Don't go."

Logan looked into her eyes and doomed himself.

His bag barely hit the floor before he grabbed her face and yanked her lips to his, capturing her mouth in a hungry kiss.

Marie desperately gripped his shirt, almost as if she was afraid that letting go would mean he would flee.

Logan snatched the button down blouse she was wearing open, then yanked it off of her shoulders as Marie nipped at his bottom lip and unbuckled his belt.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he was screaming at himself to stop, but feeling her fingertips ghosting over his skin as they ridded themselves of their clothes quickly put those thoughts out of his head.

Before long, they were naked on the bed. He ran his hands over her body, setting her exposed skin on fire with each and every touch.

Marie climbed on top of him, straddling his hips as she lowered herself onto his erection. Logan groaned and grasped her waist, digging his fingers into her flesh as she slowly began rolling her hips onto him.

"Oh god..." she gasped as she put the palms of her hands on his chest to balance herself.

Soon, Logan grew impatient with her pace and quickly flipped her over, pinning her wanton body beneath him. She let out a sensual moan and arched her back as he began thrusting into her.

Marie tightened her legs around his hips as he eagerly ran a hand up her smooth thigh to grasp her tight ass. She suddenly took his face in her hands and looked up into his eyes. When their eyes connected, he slowed his movements, "Marie..."

She gave him a soft smile and stroked his cheek as they stared into each others eyes. Logan slowly began to thrust in and out of her again before leaning down and wrapping his arms around her body.

He held her close as they shuddered together through an intense orgasm.

Two hours later, Logan laid on his side, staring at Marie as she slept beside him.

He gently stroked her cheek and whispered, "You're so goddamn beautiful...you deserve so much more than the shitty hand life dealt you...I just know that I'd only hurt you."

Marie wasn't surprised when she woke up in an empty bed the next morning.

* * *

**Review please! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Again, sorry for the delay...and for the shortness of this chapter, but it's something! There's a character that appears in this chapter that was created by Marvel. Run a search for him and get to know who he is a little bit so that you can kind of understand this part of the storyline better.  
**

* * *

When Marie woke up in Logan's empty bed, she didn't bother to look around the room, nor did she bother to check the mansion for his whereabouts.

She knew he was long gone...and she expected as much.

What happened the night before was out of pure need, comfort and animalistic desire. She was not expecting commitment or a relationship...she wasn't even expecting him to stay.

He already gave her what she needed. After these past few years, she knew not to want for anything else.

Marie had spent the last several months bottling up her emotions to keep them from inconveniencing Remy.

When she cried about her miscarriage, she did so quietly as she laid next to the man who should have been her husband, curled up in a ball on the far side of the bed.

After her workout with Logan, she allowed herself to reveal and feel the raw emotion she'd been suppressing for those long months. She cried openly in front of him...and she didn't feel too vulnerable or uncomfortable in doing so.

When they made love, she felt a release of every painful emotion that had plagued her and every insecurity that had been planted within her. She felt a release from her life with Remy.

By the time Remy returned to town, Marie felt confident enough to have a sit down talk with him.

They met on neutral ground, in a gazebo on the mansion's grounds. He sat down next to her as she stared out over the pond, "I'm glad ya wanted ta talk, cher..."

"How was your trip?"

He nodded, "Was ok, I guess. Missed ya."

She sighed and closed her eyes, "I need to say what I need to say now or else I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to say it..."

"Ok..."

Marie took a deep breath, "I want us to separate...well, just break up...for now...I think."

"Ya think we should take a break or somethin'? Fa how long?"

"I dunno. I wish I could tell you, but I think everything we went through made me realize how different we are. We want different things, darlin...and I'm not sure I wanna compromise who I am for you."

Remy sighed and stood, "Fine. I'mma give ya the time ya need, cher...but I know whateva road ya take is gonna lead ya back ta me...ain't no man gonna love ya like I do."

He leaned down to kiss her lips, then walked away.

Marie wondered if him leaving would make him grow up a bit...or make him realize that they were on two different paths in their life. Either way, she knew that now was the time to rediscover herself.

* * *

Logan only stayed gone for about five months, returning shortly after the professor left to establish a school in London.

He wanted to give Marie time to heal and find herself...but most of all, he wanted to give her time to break up with Remy and recover so that he might have the opportunity to swoop in.

Unfortunately for him, Marie had no idea he wanted her to be apart of his forever.

On the night he returned, it was almost 2 in the morning, so he slowly made his way through the garage and into the mansion. He was surprised when he saw Marie walking in through the front doors...and she wasn't alone...

Logan was a pretty sizable man himself, so it was a slight surprise to him that the young man who Marie was with nearly matched him in height and girth. Both of his exposed biceps boasted large tattoos that were Japanese symbols. Logan knew Japanese...but he didn't want to stare long enough to read the symbols.

Although his eyes were of Japanese shape, the color of them were bright hazel and his long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

Marie froze when she spotted him, "Logan...hey. You're back."

The two men locked eyes for a moment before the younger one cleared his throat and put an arm around her waist, "So this is the infamous Wolverine I've heard so much about."

Logan raised a brow, "Glad you've heard so much about me...but it doesn't make up for the fact that I don't know shit about you."

Marie felt her date tense before she attempted to break the tension, "Logan, this is Daken. He joined us a few weeks after you left."

He stared at the man for several moments, scrutinizing his features. He looked familiar...but Logan couldn't put his finger on it.

Logan gave him a nod then pulled his eyes away to look at Marie...his Marie...who had this new strangers arm wrapped around her waist. He sighed, "Right..." After a long pause, he continued, "I need to speak to you alone, kid."

"Ok..." she turned to her date and smiled, "Could you give us a minute?"

"I'll just go on to bed...I had a great time tonight...as usual", said Daken before yanking Marie to him and laying an obnoxiously hungry kiss on her lips. The force of the kiss caught her by surprise, causing her to place a hand against his chest and squeak into his mouth just before he pulled away.

Logan narrowed his eyes and suppressed a growl as he watched the young, cocky man walk away. Something was definitely up with that kid...and he was determined to find out what...especially since he was currently slobbering all over the woman Logan had deemed "his".

When Daken was gone, he turned his eyes back to Marie, "Is he payback for me leaving after we had sex?"

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "What? No!"

"I don't like the look of him, Marie...something's...off...with him."

Marie sighed, "He's had a rough life, Logan...like most of the people who live here. He just happens to look more like it than the rest of us."

Logan clenched his jaw and looked down, "Are you two..."

She put her hands on her hips and answered quickly, "We've been dating for two months."

"Be careful there, kid..." he said before walking away from her.

Meanwhile, Daken was in his room, thinking back on his run-in with Wolverine. He'd been waiting his whole life for that moment...and the moments that would surely follow.

Marie was right when she said Daken had a rough life...but unfortunately for her, she didn't know the half of it.

He was cut from his dead mother's womb and raised by a mutant so evil, he made Magneto look like a Sesame Street character.

When he finally freed himself from his "guardian", he did so by killing him.

After his liberation, his first order of business was revenge.

Daken felt that the hell that was his life was the fault of his father...the one who had failed to protect his mother...and didn't bother to give his unborn child a fighting chance.

Logan had abandoned him...and for that, he would pay.

At first, he had simply planned to find and kill him...but meeting Marie...delicious little Marie...automatically caused his plans to take a more devious turn.

He smelled the scent of the older feral on her almost as soon as he met her. Apparently, she was wearing one of his tank tops or something. He'd spent the past several years tracking that scent, so he knew it well.

Seeing the tags around her neck with "Wolverine" emblazoned on them was an immediate confirmation that his father cared for her, and she him...on some level.

Daken would do everything he could to woo her...make her feel safe with him...then, when the time was right, he would force the Wolverine to watch as his final plans for her unfolded...

* * *

Since Marie swooned over Logan, it wasn't a surprise to anyone when she immediately started spending more time with the newest resident of Xavier's School for the Gifted.

He was less hairy than the older man, but he had a wild spirit, piercing eyes, and an intense, animalistic attraction about him.

She was hooked.

Every fiber of her being seemed to ache for him...almost the same way she ached for Logan when he was around.

The sexual attraction was palpable, but Daken wanted to hold off on the physical aspect of their relationship. He cited Marie's difficult past and quasi-marriage to Remy as his reasons to take things slow, so, she was stuck waiting for the right time.

She hoped "the right time" would come soon.

The only other time she'd felt as excited and sexually attracted to anyone was with Logan...but she knew he wasn't a real relationship prospect, so, in her mind, she dismissed Logan as nothing more than a itch that felt really good to scratch.

Daken was younger and (seemingly) more emotionally available. Daken would be her cortizone cream for the Logan-itch that she'd been fighting for all these years...

* * *

**Review please! I hope you're enjoying this! **


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, Daken sat down next to Marie at breakfast, "Morning."

When he didn't receive an answer, he cocked his head to the side and looked at her. She was staring off into space and it was obvious she hadn't heard him, "Marie? Did you hear me?"

Marie jumped slightly and shook her head, "Sorry hon..."

"Seems like there's a lot on your mind...does it have anything to do with Logan coming back?"

She bit her lip and looked at him before quickly shaking her head, "No. No. I'm fine. We're just friends."

Daken narrowed his eyes and stared at her for a bit. He knew she was lying, and the fact that she would blatantly do it to his face infuriated him more than he could understand. Could it be jealousy? He kept his cool and nodded, biting back the anger that bubbled within him, "Alright...if you say so."

Marie leaned over and kissed his cheek, "Let's go somewhere today...just you and me. I wanna get outta this place. I need fresh air."

"Sure. Where do you want to go?"

Marie shrugged a little, "Anywhere."

An hour later, they were at a museum. She held his hand as they slowly wandered throughout the expansive space, exploring art, history and culture from various countries. Marie paused before a painting that depicted King Xerxes at the battle of Thermopylae. The Persian king stood overlooking the carnage of men fighting and dying on the battlefield.

Marie read the caption, "'The Dead of Thermopylae depicts one of the bloodiest battles in Ancient Grecian history. King Xerxes of Persia stands, stoically watching the battle unfold as scores of men die before him. During his invasion of the Greek mainland, he was thought to be responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of men.'..all the death and destruction he caused...and for what?"

"Power", said Daken as he stared at the painting, "Like it or not, history needs men like this. You think those squiggly lines that define countries on maps are by accident? Countries take shape because men like this see what they want and go for it. Xerxes wasn't afraid to look like a bad guy."

Marie crossed her arms, "I don't think history needs mass murderers..."

"People have their reasons for their actions. Just because you can't grasp that doesn't necessarily make them wrong."

Daken slowly walked away, leaving Marie looking a little concerned. She eventually brushed off her feelings and continued wandering the museum with him.

Afterwards, they ate lunch, then returned to the mansion, where they promptly holed up in her room and began making out on the bed.

"I want you..." whispered Marie lustfully as she bit down on his earlobe and moved a hand beneath his shirt to stroke his well defined abs.

Daken groaned as his manhood strained against his pants. He had a plan...he had to stick to it...despite the nubile, hungry body that was currently writhing beneath his.

He was aching for her now...and he wasn't sure how long he would be able to resist.

Despite the fact that he was a cold blooded killer with no soul, even he could admit that Marie was possibly one of the most beautiful women he'd ever encountered...it was too bad that she had chosen to associate herself so closely with his father...

His train of thought ground to a halt as he felt her hand slither down to his pants to cup the growing bulge there.

Daken felt the animal within him begin to take over, so he grabbed her wrist and moved from atop her, "I can't..."

Marie furrowed her eyebrows and sat up to stare at him, "What's wrong?"

He took a moment to try to calm himself and catch his breath before he spoke, "I...I don't want to rush anything. I care about you a lot...and I want to make sure that we take it slow because...I honestly feel like what we have could be forever..."

Her heart melted as she looked into his eyes, "Really?"

"I think I could see myself with you for the rest of my life, Marie...I'm falling for you."

She grabbed his face and kissed him, then pulled him into a tight hug, "Oh Daken..."

As they hugged, he smirked over her shoulder. He had her eating out of the palm of his hand with all the "love" and "commitment" bullshit he was spewing.

* * *

The next day, Marie was working out with Jubilee, and, despite the fact that she'd run 5 miles on the treadmill, she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. Jubilee raised a brow at her friend's oddly happy demeanor.

"What's up with the smile, chica?"

Marie smiled goofily, "What smile?"

"The one that won't go away."

She giggled a little and blushed, "I didn't realize...sorry."

"Oh no need to apologize...but you do have to tell me why you're so happy go lucky today."

Marie took a sip of her water bottle, "Daken..."

Jubilee raised a brow, "Oh. So did you two finally get it on?"

"Not yet."

Jubilee threw her hands up, "What is he waiting for? Marriage?"

"Probably not...but he is waiting for the time to be right. He told me that he doesn't want to rush it because he thinks we could be...forever."

The firecracker nudged her friend, "Really? Wow! How do you feel?"

Marie shrugged a little, "I definitely have a thing for him...to be honest, I'm infatuated with the man. He's so strong and stoic...but wild at heart...I really think there could be something serious here...but he's right. We shouldn't rush it. I'm still getting over Remy and he's probably got his own relationship woes he has to deal with."

Jubilee picked up some free weights, "He hasn't talked about his past relationships?"

"He's pretty tight lipped. He just told me he's been hurt before and he wants to make sure that, the next time he opens himself up to a woman, it's forever."

"Well, I don't know how you're able to resist that one...he's sex personified..." Jubilee paused and dropped the free weight back to the rack, "Um...does he remind you of anyone?"

Marie slowly shook her head, "No...should he?"

"Well...uh...aside from the fact that he heals and has keen, feral senses...he's got this animal like attraction thing goin' on...he's like the younger, more emotionally available version of Logan."

In the back of her mind, Marie knew that Jubilee was right. She would never acknowledge it to herself or anyone else, but Daken reminded her of Logan in several ways...which probably explained why she was so taken with him.

The main difference between the two men was emotional availability...and unfortunately for Logan, Daken had quickly showed Marie that he was far more open than the older feral in that arena. He had expressed that he wanted a future with her on more than one occasion.

Logan had done no such thing.

After her workout, she showered, then made her way to the dining hall for dinner. On her way, she ran into Logan, "Hey there."

"Hey", he said as he checked their surroundings for her new "friend".

Marie followed his eyes as they scanned the hallway, "Daken isn't with me."

"So...about him...where is he from?"

She shrugged, "All over..."

"All over? Is that what he told you?"

Marie crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, "Why do you care?"

"I have a bad feeling about that guy, Marie. He appears outta nowhere...no one knows a damn thing about him, his past, where he comes from, or what he was doin' before he shows up here and now he's sleeping in your bed."

She rolled her eyes, "Logan, you're just being paranoid...and he's not sleeping in my bed..."

Logan looked hopeful at that last statement, but only for a moment, since he had a point to make, "Look, kid...I just want you to be careful."

"I'm a big girl, Logan...I can handle myself."

He started to say more, but Daken's arrival in the hallway stopped him. Logan straightened his back and stared at him as he kissed Marie's temple and asked her if she was ready to go. When she nodded, Daken wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her away. Just before they rounded the corner, Daken glanced back at Logan and gave him a taunting smirk.

At that moment, Logan knew that his fears about Daken were founded.

* * *

**Review please!**


	13. Chapter 13

"Surprise!" Marie yelled as she removed the blindfold from Daken's face.

He raised his eyebrows at the sight before him.

She'd decorated the old boathouse on the property with streamers and balloons. On a blanket on the floor sat a small plate of sushi and a cake that said "Happy Birthday Daken!"

Daken's mouth dropped open as he took in the scene, "What...what is this?"

"Your birthday party, silly!" She picked up the cake and held it in front of him, "Aren't you gonna blow out the candle and make a wish?"

Daken stared down at the lone candle that illuminated the small cake, "But...why?"

"It's your birthday...I wanted to celebrate it with you."

He shook his head in confusion, "I've never...no one's ever celebrated my birthday before..."

Marie looked sad for him and set the cake down before gently taking his face in her hands, "Daken...look at me." His guilt prevented him from doing so until she gave him a gentle shake and kissed his lips. She stroked his cheeks with her thumbs, "You're a good person."

Daken scoffed and walked away to look out the doorway of the boathouse. He stood staring over the surface of the water for a moment before Marie wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his back, "I know other people may have never bothered to see that...and you've been misunderstood your whole life, but I see you for who you really are."

Daken turned around to stare into her eyes, "I don't deserve you. I don't deserve any of the kindness you've shown me..."

Marie stroked his cheek, "It doesn't matter what you've done in your past, you do deserve kindness...you deserve love..."

She gently kissed him and hugged him tight.

Daken embraced her fully and buried his face in her shoulder. No one had ever been kind to him or shown him as much unbridled affection as she had.

He began to feel conflicted and guilty. His human side had to admit that Marie was a wonderful woman who he was starting to genuinely care about. He desperately tried to beat down the desire to allow himself to fall for her, but somehow, his heart was beginning to win the war that it was fighting with his head.

* * *

Logan watched Marie with Daken in the dining hall. She was talking animatedly about something, and the young punk was pretending to listen intently. After several moments he let out a breath and walked away to find Storm, who was in Charles' office, sorting through paperwork.

She glanced up, "Hello Logan...coming to lend a hand?"

"Uh...sorry Ro, was just comin' to ask you about something."

Storm nodded, "Sure. What?"

"How well do you know that Daken guy?"

She tilted her head up and narrowed her eyes in deep thought, "Just the basics. He was orphaned at a young age, abused as a child, and had been surviving on the streets until he found out about the school."

"So...no family at all?"

The weather witch shook her head, "Not that he told us about." She cocked her head to the side, "What makes you ask?"

"I have a bad feeling about him. Something seems...off with him."

She chuckled a little, "You always have been very protective of Marie."

"What makes you think this has anything to do with her? If he's a bad guy, it could end up hurting everyone in this school."

Storm sighed, "I know that...but it is a well known fact that Marie is under your protection. You've saved her life, took care of her when she'd isolated herself from the rest of the world...comforted her when no one else did..."

"What do you mean?"

Ororo lowered her voice a little, "Marie told me about the miscarriage...and how you took her to the hospital and stayed with her until Remy got back."

Logan shoved his hands into his pockets and cleared his throat, "She's my closest friend."

She nodded in agreement, "Look, if your instincts are telling you something's wrong, a little investigative work wouldn't hurt."

He raised a brow, "Shouldn't you be telling me I'm bein' paranoid and that I shouldn't go looking for trouble?"

Storm plopped down in the chair, "The professor left me in charge of the school while he's in London and it would be a nightmare if something went wrong while I was looking after things. I'm the one who let him move in here, so it would be on my head. I'd really rather be safe than sorry in this situation."

"Great. Have any ideas where I should start?"

She snatched a post-it off of her desk and wrote down a name, "The professor has a very close contact in the FBI...he was like a father to this guy...his name is Mark MacTaggert. If Daken has any red flags attached to him, he should be able to find them."

Logan took the post-it and looked at the name and number, "Thanks, Ro. I'll definitely look into him...I just don't trust him."

"Don't trust who?" Marie's voice suddenly interrupted. Logan didn't have to turn around to realize that she sounded pissed...meaning, she knew EXACTLY who he was talking about.

Marie stepped inside the office and crossed her arms, "You were talking about Daken, weren't you?"

Storm stuttered a little, "I've got a class...I should go..."

The white haired beauty was out the door before Logan could even blink an eye. He was left alone at the mercy of Marie, who stood tapping her foot, waiting for him to answer.

He tried to put on a brave face, "I don't trust the guy...so what?"

"Would you be OK with him if I wasn't dating him?"

"No", he answered honestly. There was something wrong with that guy, and, despite the fact that he hated him for the sole purpose of his involvement with Marie, Logan's instincts told him something was very very wrong with Daken.

"I'm trying to be happy. I'm trying to be with someone who will give me everything I've ever wanted...and you seem hell bent on screwing with that!"

"Years ago, I promised to protect you. I'm just making good on that promise, kid."

Marie crossed her arms and looked away, "A lot has changed since then, Logan...I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a grown woman, and I don't need looking after."

* * *

The next day, Logan called Storm's contact at the FBI. When Logan mentioned that he was a friend of Storm and the professor's, the man let him know that he was busy at the moment, but he'd be happy to meet with him in his office in New York the following day.

When he made his way down to the gym that evening for a workout, he passed Marie in the hallway. She barely spared him a glance, so he decided to speak first, "Still mad at me?"

"I was never mad. Only annoyed."

He sighed, "I'm just tryin' to look out for you...and everyone in this school."

"Daken isn't dangerous, Logan! I know him the way no one else does, and he has a good heart."

"Fine. Then they'll be no harm in me doin' a little bit of investigative work."

Marie rolled her eyes, "Do whatever you want, Logan. I'm done caring."

That night, Daken sat on the floor in front of Marie's bed as she sat behind him, massaging his shoulders. He couldn't help but love moments like this when he had a woman who seemed to adore him catering to him.

Marie sighed, "I ran into Logan earlier."

"He seems to have a problem with me."

She shook her head as she continued rubbing his shoulders, "I think he's just being territorial...he says he doesn't trust you."

"I don't care...as long as you trust me..."

Marie smiled and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek, "Course I do, baby."

"Well it sounds like he's being paranoid", he said, trying not to sound worried.

She nodded, "You don't know the half of it."

"What do you mean?"

She stopped massaging and sighed, "He's gonna have you investigated or something."

Daken panicked internally. If Logan had the right connections, it would be fairly easy to connect him to some of his past crimes. He'd, no doubt, come charging back to the mansion to start a fight.

He couldn't have that...not yet.

Daken turned around and brushed some hair out of Marie's face, "This seems to be bothering you a lot, baby...why don't we get outta here for a few days?"

She laughed a little, "We can't do that!"

"Why not? Spring break starts for the kids tomorrow, your classes don't start for another couple of weeks...let's just get away and decompress...when was the last time you did something spontaneous?"

Marie thought for a little bit before nodding, "Alright! Let's go!"

The next morning, while Logan was on his way into the city to meet with the FBI agent, Daken and Marie were loading up her car with their bags. The professor had helped her purchase a used Honda Civic soon after her high school graduation. She eventually paid off the share he contributed by tutoring students and playing secretary on weekends.

When they'd gotten everything packed, Daken snapped his fingers, "Dammit. I forgot my CDs...I'll be right back, ok?"

She nodded, "Ok."

Daken did go grab his CDs...however, he stopped off in Marie's room and dropped off a letter and an envelope that was sure to make the Wolverine's blood run cold when he read it...

About an hour after the two had hit the road, Logan was walking into an office in Manhattan. Mark MacTaggert smiled politely and extended his hand, which Logan shook firmly, "So...you're Logan? Charles has told me a lot about you."

Logan smirked, "Don't believe half of it...how do you know Chuck?"

"Well, he and my mother were...close."

Logan raised a brow, "How close?"

Mark laughed a little as he sat down behind his desk, "Put it this way...she still blushes every time someone mentions his name..."

"Whoa...that old dog."

Mark cleared his throat, "So...on the phone you mentioned you were concerned about one of the new residents at the school?"

"Yeah. This new guy named Daken?"

"No last name?"

Logan shook his head, "All he goes by is Daken."

Mark nodded a little, then typed into his computer, "It's possible that 'Daken' is just an alias. I might not be able to find out if he's the exact person in your school, but I'll do my best."

"Thanks..."

Logan glanced out the window and began watching the people scurrying below as Mark puttered away on his keyboard.

Several minutes later, Mark groaned, "This can't be right..."

Logan walked back over to the desk, "What? Something wrong?"

"I found several records in relation to a 'Daken' alias in our system, but it spans across several years and multiple countries...there's a Daken here wanted in connection to a series of assaults, rapes and murders in Japan, Canada AND the US."

Logan blinked and shook his head, "Japan?"

Mark nodded, "If this 'Daken' is one guy...the guy at the school...he might be from Japan...but I can't understand how he could have possibly have committed crimes THIS serious in three countries..."

Logan shook his head, "Japan?"

Mark read the profile, "Looks like one of his victims was brave enough to give us something... 'Attacker appeared to be of asian descent, hazel eyes, long black hair, approximately six-foot-two inches in height, muscular build...was uniquely characterized by large tattoos on each bicep...victim believed the tattoos were Japanese characters..."

"Shit...that's him."

Logan was out the door and on the road within minutes.

He burst through the doors of the mansion just under an hour later and made a beeline to Marie's room. He found it empty, but immediately spotted an envelope with his name on it.

Logan opened it and read:

_'Congratulations, Wolverine. By now, I'm sure you've found out most of my secrets._

_I'm actually surprised it took you this long to decide to investigate me and find out just how "evil" I am. _

_Since, by now, you've probably had a full run down of my criminal past, I'd like to tell you a sad little story about my life..._

_I wasn't raised by my own parents. When my mother was pregnant with me, she was murdered in cold blood because of her association with my father. After she was murdered, my father fled immediately, without even bothering to check to see if I could have survived the ordeal. He should have known it was possible...after all, he had a healing factor and it was completely possible that it could have passed down to his unborn child, enabling me to survive._

_But you didn't stay to check on me. You left me to die with my mother. I was cut from her womb by an evil, disgusting man who abused me every day of my life. He told me about you...and how my mother died. He raised me to be a cold blooded killer. _

_After I was finally able to kill him and escape his hold, I vowed revenge on you. _

_I know you're panicking now. Probably wondering why I didn't just kill you and be done with it...but I find that death is too good. You need to live with the pain I'm going to inflict on you._

_That's where Marie comes in. Delicious little Marie. One look at those tags around her neck and I knew she was yours...and she immediately became my target._

_Good luck finding us...but I can tell you that, by now, you're probably already too late.'_

* * *

_**Review please! I hope you're enjoying this! There are some interesting twists and turns coming, so stay tuned and please keep that feedback coming!**   
_


	14. Chapter 14

**Before you start throwing flames, just understand that there's a method to my madness! Be warned, you might not like part of this chapter, but I PROMISE you, I will make it alllll up to you in the end. I know you want strictly Rogan goodness, but this story is more about the trials and tribulations they have to go through in order to end up together.  
**

* * *

Logan stood, rooted in his spot, re-reading the words on the paper as if they would change if he continued to stare at them, but of course, they didn't.

Daken was his son...and, apparently, a homicidal maniac who blamed him for every shitty thing that had happened to him.

An eclectic range of emotions began to flood Logan, leaving him unsure as to how to react or feel, but when he had a second to recover, he crumpled up the note and shoved it into his pocket before rushing out of the room and practically flying down the main stairway.

He didn't know what direction they went in or where they were headed. He felt helpless, so he did the only thing he could do...he drove around to area gas stations in hopes that Marie and Daken had stopped there to gas up.

He got lucky in one place that recalled "the girl with the striped hair" from the description Logan gave him. The place was about twenty minutes south of the mansion, and directly near a highway, directly off of I-95.

Logan hopped back in the car and took the highway, stopping off at every other exit to see if he could find more clues, but he kept coming up empty handed.

He was almost three hours behind them and the interstate had branched off into several other small roads and highways.

They could be anywhere by now...

* * *

About 3 hours after Marie and Daken left Westchester, they found themselves in Rhode Island.

They checked into a property that consisted of several small, rustic cottages that lined a secluded beach. Marie wasted no time in divesting herself of her clothes and putting on a tiny bikini.

She hoped the lack of attire would tempt Daken into taking the next step in their relationship.

She leaned against the doorframe and looked out at the ocean. She spotted Daken standing just on the edge of the water, watching the waves...shirtless. His hair was down and blowing in the wind.

Marie slowly walked over to him and put her arms around his waist before kissing the space between his shoulder blades. As she pressed her nearly naked body against him, she felt him tense.

When Daken turned around and was confronted with the sight of her in a bikini, he raised his eyebrows, "Wow. There's not much to that swim suit, huh?"

Marie grinned mischievously, "I could always take it off if you don't like it."

Daken watched intently as she started to reach for the string behind her neck that held her bikini top on, but before he got lost in the moment, he grabbed her wrist and stared down into her eyes. The look on his face concerned her, so her smile fell a bit as she looked back up at him, "Daken...is something wrong?"

After a moment, he quickly shook his head, "We should get inside for some...privacy."

Marie liked the way that sounded, so she took his hand and turned around to lead him back to the cottage. Once inside, with the door closed, she wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him hungrily.

Daken's body was practically shaking from wanting her. His desire for her was beginning to outweigh his desire to exact his revenge on Logan.

Marie briefly broke the kiss and, in a flash, her top was off.

He barely had time to react before she pressed her naked breasts against his chest as she resumed the kiss, making his mind go blank in the process.

Daken threw all of his thoughts out the window and ran his hands down her body to grip her ass and firmly press her body against his.

Marie moaned into his mouth as he walked her back to the bed and broke the kiss before roughly pushing her back against it. She bounced a bit on the creaky mattress an smirked up at him as she sat up on her elbows.

His eyes were dark with desire as he stared down at her naked breasts and unbuttoned the fastens on his shorts. Once his shorts were open, he knelt on the bed in front of her and snatched her panties off her hips, causing her to squeak in surprise at the force of his actions.

Daken yanked her knees open before crawling atop her body and, once again, kissing her hungrily.

By now, his erection was rubbing against her naked thigh as his hips thrust forward on their own accord, desperately and blindly searching out her core.

Marie started to wrap her arms around him, but he grabbed her wrists and slammed them onto the mattress beside her head.

He intently stared down into her eyes before he maneuvered his hips and suddenly thrust himself inside of her. In response, Marie gasped and arched her back beneath him, causing her hardened nipples to brush against his chest.

Daken growled and began slowly, but powerfully thrusting himself inside of her.

Marie wrapped her legs around his waist and hooked her ankles behind his ass, pressing him further into her.

She was so lost in ecstasy that she barely noticed how tightly Daken held her wrists.

He leaned down and buried his face in her neck as he began hungrily kissing and sucking on her neck.

His movements slowly sped up as his primal side began to rear its head.

"Mine...Mine...Mine", he growled repeatedly as he began pummeling into her at a ruthless pace.

Just as their orgasms hit, Daken bit down on her neck, causing her to cry out as the intense mixture of pain and pleasure forced her body to convulse and buck beneath him.

Daken continued thrusting into her through his release, then gradually slowed his movements to a halt.

Two hours later, Daken watched Marie as she slept beside him.

This was, most certainly, NOT a part of the plan.

The next morning, Marie woke to find Daken gone. He left a note on the nightstand that told her he went for a run on the beach.

Marie took a shower, then plopped down on the bed and bit her lip as she looked down at the bruises on her wrists. They were a reminder of she and Daken's first night together, and honestly, she had mixed feelings. After the fact, she'd actually allowed herself to realize that it was Logan, and not Daken, who had turned her on during their sordid tryst. The parts of him that reminded her of Logan were what kept her hot for him and wanting more.

Speaking of Logan, she felt guilty for how she'd treated him...and the fact that she left without so much as a note. Marie knew he'd be worried, so she took a deep breath and went to her purse to dig out her cell phone. When she couldn't find it there, she looked in her backpack, then in the small suitcase she'd packed.

It mysteriously vanished...

Luckily, Logan's number was one that she had managed to memorize, thanks to the fact that he had a mansion-issued cell phone and it was only two digits off from Jubilee's.

She used the cottage phone to dial his number. After barely a ring, she heard Logan's garbled voice, "Hello?"

Marie covered her other ear in an effort to hear him better, "Logan? Are you in the car? I can barely hear you."

"Marie! Marie! Where are you? You're in danger! Danger! Can you hear me?"

Unfortunately for the both of them, she was catching only part of what he was saying. She yelled back, "What? Danger? Logan? I can barely hear you!"

"Where are you!"

"I'm staying on a beach in Rhode Island! Why?

"Marie. Listen. Daken is my son. He's dangerous. Did you hear me? He's my son, Marie! He's dangerous!"

That, she heard...and suddenly, all of the pieces to the puzzle started falling into place.

It was completely possible that he was Logan's son. They both had healing factors, and everything she loved about Daken was something that reminded her of Logan...including his wild, hazel eyes.

She jumped when Daken, who had probably been standing mere feet away from her for several moments, suddenly spoke up. His voice was frighteningly stoic, "What are you doing, Marie?"

Daken heard Logan yelling her name through the receiver as he smirked and took the phone from her, before suddenly snatching it out of the wall and throwing it across the room.

She tried not to tremble as she stared up at him, "Is it true?"

"Which part? That I'm dangerous or that I'm Logan's son?"

Marie narrowed her eyes, "Both."

Daken held up his fist as three bone claws slowly protruded from his knuckles, while one rose out of the skin on his wrist.

Taking note of her shocked expression, Daken smirked, "What do you think, baby?"

* * *

**Review please!**


	15. Chapter 15

Logan called Storm immediately after he got off the phone with Marie. He was en route to Rhode Island, and he needed her help and resources if he was going to have a shot in hell of finding Marie alive.

"Hello?"

"Storm...it's a long story, but Marie is in danger. I went to Mark MacTaggert, and we found out that Daken has a really violent criminal past. I happen to know for a fact that he has it out for Marie."

"What? How is that possible?"

Logan sped through traffic, "I don't have long to talk. Daken is dangerous, and he's gonna hurt her if we don't hurry. I talked to Marie for a split second and found out that she was in Rhode Island, but she got cut off right after. He's gonna hurt her, Storm. I know it."

"Did she call you on your cell?"

"Yeah, why?"

Storm sounded relieved, "Since it's a mansion cell phone, I can see if Aaron can find out the exact coordinates of your last incoming phone call."

Logan liked that idea. Aaron was the mansion's resident tech geek and the kid was extremely talented.

"Fine. Do it. In the meantime, I'm heading to Rhode Island. She said they were on a beach, so I'm going to head to the coast. Call me with the coordinates when you have them."

Too bad Marie and Daken were already on the road.

Daken had Marie sitting in the backseat, bound and gagged. He drove calmly as she struggled against her bonds, "You're only going to chafe your wrists, beautiful. Just relax and enjoy the ride."

Marie glared at him and slowly maneuvered to sit up. He glanced at her in the rearview mirror and sighed before reaching back and snatching the gag off, "Guess you won't need to have that in while we're in the car."

She shook her head a bit to move her hair out of her face, "Why are you doing this?"

"In short, I hate my dad and the best way to hurt him is through you."

"How about you give me the long version. It's obvious we've got a long drive ahead of us, so humor me."

Daken smirked over his shoulder, "Is it weird that I find it to be a turn on that you seem more annoyed than scared?"

Marie sucked her teeth in disgust, "Yeah. It is."

He let out a brief, cackling laugh before sighing, "Well, it all started on the day I was born...my mother, who was pregnant with me at the time, was gunned down. She was killed because of her association with Wolverine. When he came back, he found her...then left."

"So you hate him because he wasn't psychic enough to know you were alive?"

Daken's hold tightened on the steering wheel, "He has the most powerful healing factor and regenerative capabilities this world has ever seen...and he didn't think it was possible that his own child could have inherited that? He abandoned me. He left me for dead like the coward he is."

"But you didn't die-"

"No. Only because a psychotic shit head cut me out of my mother's stomach and raised me to be an evil killing machine."

Marie shifted and attempted to stretch out her arms, "Looks like he succeeded."

"You don't know the half of it, baby."

She shuddered, "Stop that."

"Stop what?"

Marie shut her eyes and tried to shake away the recent memories of being in bed with him, "Stop calling me those damn pet names."

"Why not? It was just a few hours ago that I was inside of you. Don't I get any pet name privileges because of that?"

She clenched her teeth and glared at him, "I'll live to regret that!"

"You might...might not..." he said, laughing.

"So you're going to kill me to get back at Logan?"

Daken glanced at her again, "Someone killed my mom to get back at him...seems fair, right?"

Marie shifted again, "I guess so...if you're a sick, twisted asshole." She looked down, then back up at his reflection in the rearview mirror, "What makes you think he's gonna give a shit if you kill me?"

"The tags, for one. The whole 'saved your life on Liberty Island for nearly the expense of his own'-thing."

"So? He's a good friend. But he's not in love with me or anything."

Daken chuckled, "Sure. Right. Well, if it's any consolation, I was thinking about finding another way to get revenge..."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

He shrugged a little, "Well, you had me going with all of that affection and love bull shit, so I figured, what better way to get him back than sweep you away from the mansion, convince you to marry me and have you pop out a kid or two. I'm sure pops would have a shit fit if I made him a grandpa by knocking up the woman he's in love with."

"You're disgusting."

Daken's eyes connected with hers in the mirror, "If I were you, I'd be praying that option was still on the table, cause you are gonna be begging me for mercy before the end."

Marie forced the fear that was rising in her throat back down as she allowed anger to take its place, "I cared about you...I even thought I loved you..."

"Oh, come on. I call bull shit."

"What makes you say that?"

He ran a hand through his hair and relaxed a bit more in his seat, "You're just using me as his substitute. I know that everything you supposedly love about me is something that I have in common with him."

She couldn't even deny that, so she kept her mouth shut and looked out the window as Daken's anger grew as a result of her silent admission. Now, he was angered and saddened by the realization that Marie's affections for him were simply the result of the unrequited love she had for his father.

Truth was, he HAD allowed himself to fall for her...and knowing that she didn't return those feelings because she was too busy fawning over the Wolverine was too much for him.

* * *

When Logan finally received the coordinates to the cottage and made it there, it was too late.

He stood in the middle of the empty, one room cabin and looked around, hoping for some clue that Marie was still alive. It appeared that Daken hadn't left behind her belongings, so at least that told Logan she was alive and he planned to keep it that way for long enough for her to need her clothes and toiletries.

Logan asked an older couple that was running a fruit stand near the entrance to the beach property if they had seen Marie's car or which direction it had traveled in. They let him know that they'd seen the car head south just a couple of hours prior.

He hopped back in the car and started driving south, not knowing which of the countless states south of where he was they could possibly be in.

Storm called Logan to let him know that the professor was on his way back from London so that he could use Cerebro to locate Marie before it was too late.

* * *

When it was dark, Daken stopped off at a camp site and built a fire before pulling Marie out of the car. Before he did, however, he replaced the gag.

He led her into the woods a ways from the campsite. It was so dark, Marie could only make out his outline.

When he started unbuttoning her pants, she squirmed and thrashed as she screamed through her gag, but it made no difference. Daken simply continued about his business, unbuttoning and unzipping her pants before pulling her panties and jeans down to her knees.

He laughed sinisterly, "After driving all day, I figured you had to pee."

Marie slowly calmed and eyed him suspiciously as he turned around to give her the opportunity to handle her "business".

An hour later, Daken had tied Marie to a tree and gone back to the car to get some supplies.

She heard footsteps coming from the opposite direction that Daken left in. Suddenly, a middle aged man appeared in the clearing. He carried a walking stick and wore plaid along with a scraggly beard.

When he spotted Marie, he rushed over as she began squirming and murmuring against her gag.

"Good lord! How the hell did you get out here, little lady?" asked the man as he pulled her gag down.

"I've been kidnapped! We have to hurry. He's very dang-"

She was cut off by the sickening sound of piercing flesh. Marie watched as the man's eyes drained of life and Daken lifted him up and tossed his body aside like a rag doll, then retracted his bone claws.

Marie trembled uncontrollably as tears began streaming down her face, "Oh my god! Oh my god!"

Daken growled, "Can't have you trying to leave so soon...can we?"

"You're sick! You're an evil sick bastard!"

Daken smirked as he wiped blood off of his hand, "So...you're just now finding that out?"

She frantically attempted to scramble away from him as he bent down to re-secure her binds, but he grabbed her arms and gave her a firm shake, "Now that you see what I'm capable of...I suggest you keep your mouth shut and cooperate from now on."

* * *

Logan had stopped off at a rest stop to wait for the professor to call him with news of Marie's location. He was afraid that, if he stayed on the road, he could overshoot their location and lose valuable time by having to double back.

As he sat, he had the opportunity to think about all of the mistakes he'd made in his life...

He had absolutely no business loving Itsu, and in the end, he learned that the hard way. Now Marie was in danger because of him. He felt like he should have learned by now that he deserved to live his long life sad and alone.

Then, he thought about Daken. Finding out his son was alive should have overjoyed him instead of terrify him. He thought back to the days leading up to Itsu's death and remembered talking to her belly, feeling kicks, and imagining what it would be like to be a father to the little person growing inside of her. He'd been so happy...and now that little person he'd been so in love with was threatening to destroy the only thing that kept him looking forward to waking up everyday.

His phone barely had the chance to let out a full ring before he answered, "Yeah?"

"Logan. I have Marie's location."

He breathed out a sigh of relief and grabbed up a pen and paper. He'd never been more happy to hear the professor's voice, "Alright. Go ahead."

Logan wrote down the coordinates, "Thanks, Chuck. I'm on my way."

"I'm going to be sending Scott, Jean, Hank and Storm in the jet to assist you."

"Not a good idea. This guy is dangerous. You have no idea what he's capable of", said Logan as he pulled the car out of the rest stop and got on the highway.

"And you do?"

"I should..." Logan stayed silent for several moments, "...he's my son, Chuck."

The professor was speechless for the first time since Logan had known him. When the professor seemed unable to come up with what to say next, he spoke up, "Years ago, when I lived in Japan, I married a woman and...when she was just about to have our baby, someone killed her. I thought the baby was dead...she'd been shot directly in the stomach...I lost it. I...just remember the blood...so I left...I went crazy for a while, living in the wilderness...like an animal."

The professor sighed, "Logan. I know what you must be thinking, but you are not to blame for this. Daken is obviously a misguided, very disturbed individual."

Logan sighed, "Just...tell everyone to hang back. God only knows what he'd do if he saw the entire team appear out of nowhere."

"Please...keep us updated."

"I'll try."

* * *

Daken drove them for several hours until they reached a motel. Daken took off her gag and binds and yanked Marie out of the backseat. He glared down into her face, "We're gonna get a room. When we go in here, if you don't stay quiet, I'll gut everyone in there and you...you understand me?"

She nodded slowly before he pulled her into the office, where he paid for a room, then guided her back to the car, grabbed their bags and led her to their room.

He tossed her bags onto the floor by the bed, "Go shower."

Marie quickly, and gladly obeyed. She disappeared into the bathroom, which she was sad to see, had no windows.

She eagerly slipped out of her dirty clothes before taking a hot, steaming shower. Just as she turned off the water and reached for the towel, Daken burst into the bathroom.

Marie bit back a scream and snatched a towel over her body. Daken smirked and slowly stalked toward her, "Don't worry about covering up in front of me, baby...I already have every inch of your body memorized..."

Suddenly, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder before walking back into the room and tossing her on the mattress. She grappled with him for a moment before he grabbed her wrists and slammed them down onto the mattress on either side of her head.

Tears were glistening at the corner of her eyes as she panted and looked up at him, "Daken...please."

He stared down into her eyes for several moments before growling and moving from atop her. Marie curled up on the bed and covered herself as he paced from one end of the room to the next.

When he calmed, he tossed some clean clothes at her and barked for her to get dressed. When she was dressed, he forced her to lay on the bed before tying her to it. He grabbed his jacket, "I'll be back soon."

Relieved that he was gone, Marie allowed blessed sleep to overtake her.

* * *

**Review please!**


	16. Chapter 16

**This chapter is a little short, but there's a reason for that!**

* * *

The professor ignored Logan's request to allow him to handle Daken himself. He knew that Logan needed help, so he gave the coordinates to Scott and asked Hank, Jean and Storm to accompany him.

* * *

Marie awoke to the feeling of her bonds being untied. She thought she was dreaming when she looked up to see that it was Logan untying her from the bed. Her gag had been removed before she woke up.

"Logan? Are you really here?"

He stood her up, "It's me..."

Marie threw herself into his arms for a hug, "Oh god...I knew you'd find me. I knew it."

Logan nodded, "It's alright, darlin'. I gotcha. We gotta go now, though."

She nodded in agreement, "He'll be back soon..."

He grabbed her hand and made his way toward the door. After a couple of sniffs and opening it just a crack, he opened it fully and pulled her out, practically dragging her to the car.

Marie allowed herself to feel relief for a split second when she sat down in the car and buckled her seatbelt.

_"That wasn't so hard"_, thought Logan as he turned the key in the ignition.

Suddenly, the car jerked and a loud *thump* was heard. They barely had time to react as Logan's head was almost skewered by the three bone claws that pierced the roof of the car.

Logan reacted quickly and slammed the car into the reverse, then abruptly stopped before throwing the car into drive, hoping the motion would throw Daken off the roof, but unfortunately, the younger feral held on.

"Get down!" he yelled as Marie quickly scooted down in her seat. He gunned the car out of the parking lot and fishtailed onto the road, which, thanks to the late hour and out-of-the-way location, was deserted.

Daken retracted his claws before punching through the roof again. He twisted his claws a bit so that they cut a hole out of the roof, then reached his hand through in an attempt to grab at Logan.

In response, Logan released his claws and stabbed Daken through the arm. He cried out and yanked his arm back out of the hole, then stabbed at the spot right above Marie, who, luckily, was still ducked down in her seat.

She screamed in response as Logan wildly swerved back and forth, hoping the movement would help shake Daken off the car.

Suddenly, her passenger side window was busted and he was able to grab a hold of her arm. Marie fought against him as Logan desperately tried to reach over to free her from Daken's grasp, but ended up nearly losing control of the car.

She fought hard against his hold as Logan ran off the road, barely missing a head-on collision with a tractor trailer. Almost as soon as the car left the road, they hit a ditch, briefly went airborne then slammed into a tree.

Logan, who was thrown through the windshield, slowly stood and began stumbling back toward the wreckage, but a stab to his back stopped that.

Daken smiled before yanking his claws out and kicking Logan forward, sending him face first into the dirt. Logan growled in pain and rolled over to face his attacker.

Yeah. He saw it now. This was his son.

Same muscle structure.  
Same height.  
Same hazel eyes.  
Same hunger for revenge.

Logan slowly stood up, "Daken...you don't have to do this."

"I know I don't _have_ to...I_ want_ to."

Logan slowly released his claws and held them out by his sides, "We can't always have what we want, son."

Daken smirked, "I got one of the things I wanted..."

In that moment, Logan knew he was referring to Marie, whose fate he still was unsure of since the crash had been so violent.

Daken laughed a little as he watched Logan's expression falter a little, "I fucked her til she couldn't walk straight...and she loved every second of it."

"Shut up!" Logan practically screamed. After a moment of silence, he narrowed his eyes at his son, "It doesn't have to be this way, Daken..."

"Correction, Wolverine. It _didn't_ have to be this way...but thanks to you, it is..."

Looking into his eyes, Logan saw the recognizable glint of feral revenge. He knew there would be no reasoning with him...he would have to fight him...and kill him, or else he would keep coming after him, and more importantly, he would keep trying to hurt Marie.

Logan crouched down slightly and slowly raised his claws into a fighting position. He waited until Daken made the first move.

When Daken charged, claws first, Logan caught his wrist and used his other hand to slash him across the face.

Daken was obviously stunned from the quick attack, but recovered enough to punch/stab Logan in the side.

Logan yelled in pain, then managed to kick the younger man in the chest, knocking him away.

He grabbed his wound as it stitched back together, but straightened just in time to field another attack. Daken was fast, but not nearly as disciplined and strong as Logan. His motivation was fueled by pure rage, which would have worked to his advantage if he wasn't fighting a man who was fighting to protect the woman he loved.

After a frenzy of slashing, stabbing, punching and kicking, Logan gained the upper hand and ended up pinning his son to the ground with claws pointing at his throat. He looked down into the young man's eyes, "I don't want to kill you, Daken..."

"Well you better...because I'm never gonna stop coming after you...or her."

Logan couldn't do it. As much as he wanted to protect Marie, he couldn't bring himself to kill his own son.

He strategically laid one powerful punch to Daken's temple, successfully knocking him out. He quickly tied Daken to a tree before rushing back to the car to find Marie slumped forward against the dashboard, bleeding from the head and unconscious.

"Marie? Marie?" he yelled as he leaned forward, gingerly touching her head. He heard her breathing, but that did little to calm his fears.

Logan needed to get Marie help, fast, but he knew that local authorities would ask too many questions and that they wouldn't be able to hold Daken once he woke up, so he decided to call the professor.

Before he had the opportunity to dial his number, he heard someone calling his name. He rushed back toward the main road, where he was relieved to find Scott, Hank, Storm and Jean.

He led them back to the crash site, where Jean and Hank attended to Marie while Storm and Scott looked down at Daken. Scott sighed, "What should we do with him?"

Storm pulled out her phone, "We should call Mark. He can have a team out here to pick him up in no time."

She was right. They barely had time to get Marie loaded on the cloaked jet before the FBI's "Special Prisoners Unit" was there, at the behest of Mark MacTaggert. Daken was a wanted criminal, and they were well prepared to handle him.

He was still unconscious when they finished chaining him up for his transport to his new home at the federal prison.

After they left, Logan rushed onto the jet to check on Marie. Jean and Hank were monitoring her vitals and cleaning her head wound, "How is she?"

"With head injuries, you can't really tell how much damage is done until we get a CT scan. We just have to hope she wakes up..."

Hours later, Logan was sitting next to Marie as she laid on a bed in the med lab.

He gently took her hand, "Darlin'...you gotta wake up. Please..."

Logan leaned down and kissed her hand before laying his forehead against her bed.

Just a little while later, he heard her take a deep breath. He looked up at her just in time to see her eyelids begin to flutter. He stood and leaned down a little, "That's it, baby...come on back to me."

Marie slowly blinked her eyes open as she tried to adjust her eyes to the blaring light of the medlab.

She looked at him and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she spoke in a gravelly whisper, "Who are you?"

* * *

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	17. Chapter 17

Logan leaned against a counter in the medlab room adjoining Marie's, listening as the professor, Hank and Jean discussed her head injury and subsequent amnesia.

He crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he heard Jean utter "she may never regain her memory".

That was his worst fear. Despite the fact that they slept together a handful of times and had a complicated, sexual history that spanned over the course of several years, he and Marie were the only ones who knew about it.

Her forgetting all they'd shared in the past made him feel like their history had been erased...and that killed him inside.

On top of that, Logan knew all to well of the frustration and emotional pain of losing ones memories. He didn't want Marie to go through that.

Hank sighed, "I think she should be seen by a specialist. I have a friend from med school who practices in the city."

Logan straightened, "He any good?"

"The best."

Jean nodded, "Alright, Hank. If you could call and set up an appointment..."

Logan perked up, hearing Marie's unsure voice call "hello?" from the next room. Jean and Hank started to follow him as he started toward the room, but the professor motioned for them to stay where they were. He knew Logan was probably the best person to tend to Marie, since he had lost his memories, and he'd been Marie's closest friend prior to the accident.

Logan rushed into her room, but was immediately saddened when her demeanor tensed upon his arrival. She gripped the blanket that covered her legs tight as she spoke tentatively, "I'm thirsty..."

He walked over to her tray, poured her a cup of water, then handed it to her, "Here ya go, kid."

She took the water and slowly sipped as she continued to stare at him, "That redheaded lady tells me my name is Marie."

Logan nodded, "It is. Marie D'Ancanto...and some of your friends call you Rogue."

"Hm. Rogue...what kind of a name is Rogue?"

His heart clenched painfully in his chest. She'd just inadvertently replayed a moment from their first meeting...one of many of "their" memories that she'd forgotten.

"I dunno...we all have nicknames around here..."

Marie looked down into her cup, "...I heard the lady say your name was Logan...she said you're my closest friend."

Logan nodded, "I am. We've known each other for years."

"No offense, but...you look a little dangerous."

He cracked a small smile and shook his head, "You never have, and never will have a reason to be scared of me, darlin'."

Logan didn't want to try to rebuild the woman before him into the Marie he knew right away. He needed to give her the opportunity to re-enter the world as the person she felt she needed to be, so he remained quiet, and only answered questions she asked.

Having been in her position before, he knew that the last thing he should do was volunteer a mass amount of information. He knew that her inability to properly remember everything so soon after a head injury would only frustrate her.

"How'd I get hurt?" she asked, motioning toward the bandage on her head.

"You were in a car accident", he stated, deciding to leave the details out for now.

"Oh."

He slowly reached forward to take her hand, but realized that she might not remember how to keep her powers off, so he rested his hand on her knee, which was inches away from her hand.

Logan cleared his throat, "Marie...I've been through what you're going through right now."

"You woke up not knowing who you were?"

He nodded, "Yeah, but the difference here is, I didn't have anyone who cared about me to help me. You do. Now...I'm not gonna lie...things are going to be hard for you, but I promise, everyone here is going to do everything they can to help you."

Marie stared into his eyes for a moment before nodding, "Alright. I trust you."

"Is your head still hurting?"

She gingerly reached up to touch her head and slowly nodded, "A lil bit..."

"I'm going to get Jean...she's the redhead from earlier."

Marie nodded, "Jean...the redhead. Right."

After Jean gave Marie some pain meds, Logan, once again, took up vigil at her bedside. Soon, she was asleep, and he was watching over her intently.

Scott came in and whispered, "I can sit with her if you want to get some rest."

Logan shook his head, "I'm not leaving her."

Scott sighed and took a tentative step toward him, "I know you feel responsible for her Logan...but you have to know that she might not be the same person you knew anymore. She's lost every memory that made her who she was...and I think we should all prepare for that."

Logan stared down at Marie's peaceful face, realizing that Scott had just acknowledged his deepest fear.

* * *

Logan and Jean went with Marie to her appointment with the specialist, who gave them no hope or new information. Marie may never regain her memories, but on the flip side, she had maintained control of her mutation.

In the meantime, they were to gradually integrate her back into the life she once knew and keep her surroundings familiar.

Again, Logan was warned that Marie might not still be the Marie he knew. She was going to be forming new ideas, morals and beliefs.

For a month, Marie primarily stayed in her room. Logan visited daily, answering her questions and helping her understand the world she didn't remember. He and the professor did explain to her the circumstances surrounding Daken and the accident.

Eventually, she started venturing out of her room and spending more and more time in the mansion among others.

One evening, Logan was sitting with her in her room, watching television when they came across a CNN special explaining the Mutant Registration Act.

Marie scoffed, "I'm so glad I'm not a human. The more I see on television about this, the more I hate them."

Logan furrowed his eyebrows, "Everyone always fears what they don't understand."

"I've had time to do some reading, and it seems like humans have been doing nothing but enslaving and killing each other. If you ask me, I'd say their time was over and it's time for the mutants to take over."

He shook his head, "Well, the professor seems to think we should live in harmony."

"Doesn't seem like people have ever been able to live in harmony...and he expects humans to accept mutants? They've hated each other for stupider reasons than biological differences..."

It was then that Logan realized that, despite the fact that her parents had abandoned her when she needed him most, they were partly responsible for the sweet girl she was, despite all she'd gone through.

Now, she reminded him a lot of himself. Cynical, pessimistic and slightly bitter.

She noticed his expression, and even though she didn't know him very well, she could tell something was bothering him. Marie cocked her head to the side, "What?"

"You...you were never this...negative before."

Marie laid across the bed and raised a brow, "Really? What was I like?"

Logan laughed a little, noting her flirtatious expression, "Well, you were sweet..." He got a far off look in his eyes as he stared at her, "...you smiled a lot...and you had the best laugh of anyone I'd ever known." She straightened a little bit as Logan cleared his throat and shook himself out of his reverie, "I should go. Got some stuff I wanna take care of."

She nodded and watched as he left.

That night, Logan laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling.

He looked toward the door when he heard footsteps walk toward it, then open it. He recognized Marie's silhouette immediately as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

She padded across the floor as he sat up, "Marie, what-"

Marie stopped him by putting a hand against his lips and shushing him before leaning in to kiss him.

Logan's brain skidded to a halt as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her on top of him. He was about to lose it when she began running her hands over his naked chest and trailing kisses down his neck.

He'd missed her so much...but wait...this wasn't **his** Marie. This wasn't the woman he knew and loved.

He broke the kiss just as she was about to pull her nightgown over her head, "Marie...what are you doin'?"

She straddled him and rubbed against him, "What does it feel like I'm doin', baby?"

Logan groaned a bit as she pressed against him, "I know that...but why?"

"I ain't stupid, suga. Every time I've asked you about how you and me were before the accident, you get that same funny look on your face...like you're talkin' about a lost lover."

He shut his eyes tight as he desperately worked to call upon his willpower to keep himself from stripping her naked and fucking her senseless right then and there.

Logan slowly and gingerly moved her off of his lap and set her beside him on his bed, "Alright, kid...I'll admit it. I have a thing for you...and...even before the accident, you didn't know how deep it was, but you gotta know that I can't do this with you because you're not...you."

"I'm not really following you..."

Logan sighed and looked down, "I didn't wanna just fuck you before the accident...I wanted you for who you were, body and soul...ya get me? I wanted you because of how you made me feel...and I'm not just talkin' about how you made me feel in my pants."

She sat back, looking a little deflated, "Oh...so you don't want me..."

"I do...I do...I just...well, you're just not the woman I fell for right now, but you will be again-"

Marie scooted off the bed, "I don't know if I wanna be that girl anymore. Failed relationships, getting suckered into a sham of a marriage, bein' stupid enough to let your son play me like a chess piece...then us...what really happened with us? Besides the stupid look you get on your face, you've been pretty quiet about our history."

He sighed, "We've had our fair share of inappropriate run-ins..."

"Why didn't you keep me if you seem to care so much about me?"

Logan shrugged, "A bunch of reasons...the timing was never right, I guess."

She sighed, "Well, I'm sorry you missed your chance with the old Marie...because I think she's gone now, Logan. I'm through with bein' the sucker she was."

Logan didn't have the opportunity to say anymore as she turned to walk out of the room.

* * *

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	18. The End of Part 1

About three months after the accident, Logan realized that it was true. The Marie he knew and had fallen for was gone, and he was starting to give up hope that he would ever see the "real" Marie ever again.

He'd asked the specialist and the professor about ways he could possibly help trigger her memories or at least a recollection of the person she was, but nothing helped.

Logan was alarmed, however, when some of the ideas Marie expressed seemed to resemble that of Magneto's more so than her own...and every now and then, there would be an errant Wolverine-like tone to her voice. She even growled at Scott once...

It was clear that, despite her memory loss, her psyche had retained the personalities she had absorbed. That could explain why she felt so hostile toward humans and felt so out of place at the mansion...but she tried. She tried to remember the woman she was, and tried to be the team member the professor needed, but, at the end of the day, Logan could see her frustration and her unhappiness, so he wasn't surprised when he found her packing her room.

Marie had given it three months...and now she was leaving.

She stopped placing clothes in her suitcase and looked up, "Hi..."

"Hey. Packing?"

Marie nodded and very folded up the shirt in her hands before neatly setting it in the suitcase and looking up, "I've decided to leave."

Logan shook his head, "Marie...just give it time. When you recover your memories-"

"Stop callin' me that."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "Calling you what? Marie? It's your name, isn't it?"

"Marie was the girl you knew. I'm not her anymore."

His heart sank a bit, "Fine. Rogue...you need to just give it some time. I promise...things will be back the way they were..."

"What if I don't want things to be back the way they were? What if I'm happy with a new start?"

Logan flinched almost as if he'd been shot, "What are you saying?"

She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her salt and pepper hair, "I'm sayin' I'm ready to put this place behind me and start a new life. My memory isn't comin' back...and stayin' around here will only keep hurtin' all the people who cared about the person y'all are sayin' I was."

"What makes you say that?"

Marie shrugged a little, "Well, you, namely. Every time you look at me, you get this little sparkle in your eyes...and it lasts just long enough for you to remember that I'm not _THAT_girl anymore...I'm only a reminder of her...a painful, living, walking, breathing reminder."

He didn't know what else to say. Everything she was saying was completely true...but to be honest, he'd rather have a painful reminder of his Marie than no Marie at all.

"Where will you go? What are you gonna do for money?"

Marie shrugged a little, "Apparently I got almost a thousand bucks stashed underneath my bed in a shoe box. That should be enough to give me a good start."

Logan opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He watched as she walked over to her nightstand, picked something up, then slowly walked over to him and held the object out to him.

When he was finally able to move his eyes from her face to her hand, he realized that it was his dog tags.

"You should have these back."

With that, his heart split in two. He struggled to remain calm and keep the tears that burned the corners of his eyes from falling as he took a few heaving breaths, then reached to take the tags from her outstretched hand.

When he took the tags back, he ran his thumb over the embossed letters and sighed, "Alright..."

Logan turned to leave as Marie followed him to the door to let him out, but just as he reached the door, he turned around and pulled her close and looked down into her eyes. She started to pull away, but he tightened his grip, "Logan-"

"I know you're still in there. The Marie I know and care about...and one day, you're gonna remember her and you're gonna come back to me..." Logan took her hand and placed the tags there before closing her fingers around it, "I want you to keep these...for when you remember..."

* * *

Marie at least had the courtesy to let them know what direction she planned on heading in. For a while, Logan thought about following her, but decided against it since she obviously wanted to be on her own.

He nearly had a panic attack when he finally allowed himself to realize that, for the first time in several years, he didn't know where the hell she was.

Logan thought about leaving the mansion, but he realized that that was exactly where Marie would go if she came to her senses, so he stayed put, clinging to the hope that she could come walking through the front door with all of her memories.

After three months, he started to give up hope. It was about that time that Marie had given up being on her own, but, not wanting to return to the mansion, she ended up falling in with Magneto's Brotherhood. Erik had recognized his own psyche in her, so he allowed her to join him.

She was immediately confronted with a whole new set of problems upon moving into the Brotherhood headquarters. She had to fend off the advances of Victor Creed, aka Sabertooth.

He cornered her one day in the hallway when she was on her way to her room. She tried to walk around him, but he smirked and blocked her way. She tried to walk the other way, but again, he blocked her path.

Marie sighed and stepped back, "What do you want?"

He narrowed his eyes and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, "So you don't remember anything at all? You don't remember me?"

"No."

Victor raised a brow, "That's promising."

"What makes you say that?"

He straightened, then took a step toward her. He was surprised when she stood her ground, "Because that means you and I get a fresh start."

Marie cleared her throat and stepped around him, "Whatever..."

Victor grabbed her arm and firmly placed her against the wall, "l think you and I could have some fun."

She stared up at him before she removed her arm from his grasp, then walked into her room.

Victor cocked his head upon observing that she gave him "a look" as she disappeared inside, then failed to close her door all the way.

* * *

The professor's telepathic monitoring of Mystique helped him find out about a planned break-in of a genetic research facility that was supposedly a place where illegal experiments were performed on mutants.

Logan looked forward to being able to smash some heads in.

When they got there, they interrupted several members of the brotherhood planting explosive devices throughout the facility. The opposing team members engaged each other and suddenly, everyone was matched up against their own enemy.

Logan easily disposed of the unlucky bastard who had dared take him on within moments before he was looking for his next victim/matchup. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted Marie just across the room. Their eyes connected and his world seemed to grind to a torturous halt as he stared at her wide brown eyes.

He was rudely brought back to reality when he was stabbed in the back by Sabertooth's claws.

Victor threw Logan forward, sending him crashing into glass cabinets filled with medical supplies.

Marie was supposed to be placing the last of the explosives when Logan saw her.

She watched the fight for a while before hesitantly returning to her "job". Someone yelled, "The bombs are planted! We gotta go!"

With that, both X Men and Brotherhood members had begun to retreat...with the exception of Logan and Victor.

Marie turned back to the fight just in time to see that Sabertooth had gained the upper hand, and now Logan was on the ground. Victor tipped over a giant shelf, sending it crashing on top of Logan's lower body. The larger feral smirked as he glanced at one of the explosives, which was now counting down from 1 minute, then rushed out of the exit nearest him. Marie saw Logan struggle to move the shelf, but he was clearly stuck.

Despite the fact that she couldn't remember him, something within her wouldn't let her leave him...

She rushed across the room and grabbed a hold of the shelf, noting its position and attempting to figure out the best way to move it.

"Marie! What the hell are you doin'? Get outta here!" he yelled as he continued to struggle.

"Just push!"

Together, they were able to push the shelf off of him instead of lift it. Logan had a ton of soft tissue damage done to his legs, and it would heal...the only problem left was the fact that he wasn't quick enough to outrun the explosion.

Marie pulled him along with all of her might, but they were still several feet away from safety when the bombs went off. Hearing the rumble start, Logan grabbed her and shoved her body beneath his as he hunched over her, doing what he could to shield her from harm.

Scott, Storm and Jean didn't realize that Logan was missing until they regrouped at the jet a couple of blocks away. By the time they turned around to head back and get him, the explosion had already claimed the building.

They frantically searched the smoking debris, calling his name repeatedly. Suddenly, his fist burst through a pile of cement blocks. Scott, Storm and Jean rushed over and began yanking blocks away, helping free him.

When they moved enough debris away, Logan slowly emerged, holding an unconscious, dust covered Marie in his arms.

Just over two hours later Logan was healed and sitting next to Marie in the med lab.

"Beautiful..." he whispered as he stared down at her. He couldn't help himself when he leaned over to kiss her forehead.

Just as he did, he heard her take a deep breath and slowly blink her eyes open.

He looked into her eyes and stroked her face, "Hey...you OK?"

Marie slowly sat up and rubbed her forehead, "What happened?"

"There was an explosion..."

Marie furrowed her eyebrows and gingerly reached to touch her head, "An explosion? Did Daken cause it?"

Logan's eyes widened, "Daken? What was the last thing you remember?"

Marie sat up a bit further, stretching out her neck and back, "We were in a car...Daken was after us."

He felt like dropping to his knees in happiness. She remembered...well, she remembered him...but it was obvious that she hadn't remembered those past several months that had been a living hell for him.

Logan suddenly grabbed her and began planting kisses over her face as Marie laughed a little, "Ow. Ow. Ow..."

"Oh! Shit...sorry..."

"S'ok...just a little sore."

He released her, giving her a chance to stretch out her shoulder. Logan watched her intently with an admiring gaze as she slowly swung her legs off of the bed and wiggled her toes.

When she realized he was staring, she furrowed her eyebrows, "Something wrong?"

"I...I think the professor should be here to help me explain it to you..."

Just under an hour later, the professor and Logan were explaining her memory loss to her as Jean and Hank ran tests and checked her vitals.

The following morning, they cleared her to go upstairs and "take it easy".

Logan took her straight to his room, where she showered and he promptly tucked her into bed. Once she was settled, he sat down next to her, "You ok, darlin'?"

Marie looked down at her hands, "I just can't believe I didn't remember you...how could I forget you...of all people."

He leaned forward and gently cupped her face in his hand, "That doesn't matter anymore...everything is gonna be alright from now on...I promise."

Marie leaned her face into his hand and closed her eyes before leaning toward him and pulling his lips to hers.

Logan, knowing that she was probably still a little sore from surviving an explosion, slowly pulled back, "You sure you're OK enough for this?"

She smirked as she released him, then yanked her shirt off over her head, revealing that she was without a bra. He couldn't help that his mouth dropped open upon seeing her naked breasts.

"What does that tell ya?"

Logan couldn't speak. He could only do...

He yanked her body close to hers and kissed her hungrily as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Logan slowly lowered her back down onto the bed and moved atop her as he reached between them and unbuttoned his pants.

She broke the kiss, but was barely able to speak from being so out of breath from the intensity of the kiss, "Damn baby...you wanna get down to business, huh?"

"It's been too long...I need you...I've missed you too damn much."

Marie felt his desperation in his touches...she could sense the urgency in his voice, so she returned his kisses just as hungrily and fervently as he gave them. She arched beneath him as he moved his hand down to gently tease her clit through the thin fabric of her panties.

She nipped at his bottom lip as Logan moved the fabric of her panties out of the way before slowly slipping himself inside of her.

He closed his eyes tight once his entire length was enveloped by her warmth.

It was a thousand times better than he remembered.

Once Marie recovered from the initial, intense pleasure of having him inside of her, she began yanking at the edges of his shirt, prompting him to pull off his shirt so that she can run her fingers over his chiseled body.

Logan began eagerly thrusting in and out of her, moaning as he trailed hungry kisses across her jawline and down her neck.

He knew he wouldn't last long. He just wanted to make sure she came before he lost all control.

Logan pressed his forehead against hers and breathed her name, almost pleadingly as he pistoned in and out of her. She reached down and grasped his hips, digging her nails into his flesh as she felt her orgasm approaching.

"Logan...Logan..."

He roared her name as he felt her walls begin to clench around him, practically milking him to his climax.

After they floated down from their orgasmic high, Logan gently kissed her chin and neck , "I missed you..."

She wrapped her arms around him, "I missed you too."

* * *

**********IMPORTANT AU****THOR'S NOTE**********

**Alright faithful readers! If you're desperate for a happy ending and you are through with the angst, by all means, stop reading and count this as the end of this story. Imagine that it stops here and claim your Rogan Happily Ever After! Thank you for reading!**

**Now, for those of you who want to read more angst, I do have another few chapters of this story that is full of angst and some more drama that you know I can't get enough of! Keep a look out for more on this story!**

**Oh, and throw me a review, will ya?  
**


	19. The Beginning of Part 2

**Alright! Here comes the angst-fest! Remember, if you want to pretend like they live happily ever after, just don't read this, or any of the following chapters. I do promise that there will be an eventual happy ending, but I'm just going to be sending our love birds through some more issues before I make good on that promise!**

* * *

Seven weeks of blissful togetherness followed her return to the life she knew.

They came out as a couple to the mansion, which was a surprise to almost everyone.

For seven weeks, they were happy...until Marie started coming down with mysterious headaches.

Logan tried not to panic. He secretly feared that she could possibly lose her memories again, so he promptly took her to the specialist.

After preliminary examinations, he found nothing wrong with her and told her to take Tylenol for any headaches she might experience. Logan felt that the doctor needed to be more thorough...and he emphasized that with a threatening growl when he tried to dismiss his fears about Marie's health.

That made the poor, frightened man run every test in the book.

A week later, when he called to let her know her test results were in, Logan was scared when he declined to discuss the results over the phone. Instead, he requested an in-person meeting for the following day.

Marie seemed perfectly calm as they waited in the doctor's office. Logan, however, was a bundle of fidgeting nerves.

When the doctor joined them he opened her file and smiled, "Marie is in perfect health-"

"See! Told you!" she said as she nudged Logan as he sat next to her. He let out a breath and grasped her hand in his.

The doctor cleared his throat, "Um...there is something else..."

"What could there be? You said I was fine."

"Well...one of our tests found a little something..." he said as he closed her file and adjusted his glasses.

Logan leaned forward, "I thought you said she was fine."

"I did...and she is. She's just pregnant."

Logan and Marie froze. The doctor's smile slowly faded, "I'm sorry, do you two need a moment alone?"

Marie nodded slowly, "We'll need a couple of moments, thank you."

When the doctor left the office and closed the door, Logan looked at her, "You're pregnant."

"That's what he said."

There was another long moment of silence before she spoke softly, "Maybe we should take a while to let this sink in before we talk about it."

He nodded in agreement, "Alright."

They left the doctor's office with a referral to an OB/GYN in Westchester. His office had been kind enough to call and set up her first appointment for the following week.

The entire car ride back to the mansion was quiet, as was the rest of their evening. They fell asleep without saying more than two words to each other.

It was clear that the shock of the news still had them reeling.

Neither of them said anything about the pregnancy until the night before her appointment, "The appointment is tomorrow...time to talk about the pink elephant..."

"I know...but this is just...a shock, I guess."

"Agreed...but we gotta deal with it some time."

Marie nodded, "You're right. I'm just scared that this is somethin' that has the potential to tear us apart all over again."

Logan pulled her close for a hug and kissed her cheek, "Nothin' is ever gonna tear us apart ever again..."

She closed her eyes as she breathed in his scent, "What do you think we should do?"

"To be honest, darlin'...I've been waitin' for years to have you all to myself...and I just don't know if I'm ready to share you with a baby. I know that makes me sound like a selfish asshole, but-"

Marie broke the hug, sighed and looked down, "It's not the best reason...but it's a reason, and I'm at least glad you were honest with me."

Logan was at least relieved that she didn't flip out on him. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head, "I'm sorry...but it just doesn't seem like the best time, ya know?"

"You're right..."

He kissed her temple, "I'm going to go downstairs and grab a bite. You comin'?"

"I'm goin' out with Jubes and Kitty for dinner, but I'll see you after, OK?"

Logan nodded and walked over to the door. Just as he grasped the knob, he glanced back at her, "You're sure you're OK?"

Marie nodded, "I'll be fine."

That night, she cancelled plans with Jubilee and Kitty, and instead, opted to walk around the mall for a little while. When she returned to the mansion, she found Logan asleep. She laid down beside him and stared up at the ceiling for a while, then closed her eyes and placed her hand on her lower abdomen.

The next morning, at her doctor's appointment, they performed an ultrasound "to confirm the pregnancy". Logan was surprised when Marie asked the doctor if she could hear the baby's heartbeat. Up until that moment, he was fairly certain she was leaning more toward probably not keeping the baby, but the look on her face when she heard the heartbeat was unmistakable.

When the ultrasound was over, the doctor turned the lights back on and Logan was looking just a tad unsettled. The doctor dismissed herself to allow Marie to get dressed as Logan looked at her, "So...what's goin' through your mind?"

Marie looked at him, "I think that I wanna keep this baby..."

Logan let out a deep breath and nodded, "Alright, kid. I respect that. I love you...and I wanna support you...so, let's do this."

"Really?"

He nodded and gently took her hands, "I want to support you...and it's not like I NEVER wanted kids...I may not think it's the right time, but this baby's on his...or her way, and we're gonna work it out."

Marie jumped into his arms and squeezed him tight, "Thank you..."

"For what, baby?"

"For supporting this pregnancy...even if you're not necessarily excited about it."

He kissed her cheek, "I will be, darlin'. Don't worry about it."

After that, Logan was more than a little bit worried about his preparedness for fatherhood. He went out and bought a couple of daddy-to-be books and started reading them. He wasn't sure about his connection to the baby yet, but he knew he didn't want to make the same mistake with Marie that Remy had. She was sure she wanted to have this baby, and he was sure that he wanted to support her 100%.

It's not that he wasn't happy about the pregnancy at all. It definitely had some perks...literally.

He noticed those "perks" one night after Marie got out of the shower. She was now about 5 months along and just starting to show.

Logan did a double take as she walked over to the dresser to get out her pajamas. He slowly took a step forward and cocked his head to the side as he stared at her breasts. Marie noticed and smirked, "May I help you?"

"They're...bigger."

She looked down at her chest and shrugged, "My book said this might happen."

"Wow..."

Marie laughed softly, "What?"

Logan walked over and took her pajamas out of her hands, "So...what else does this book of yours say?"

He gently took her hips and walked backwards until he said down on the bed in front of her. He laid kisses across her stomach as she drew in a breath and gasped, "Well...it says my sexual appetite might increase..."

Logan slipped a finger between her legs and smirked, "Ya don't say..."

Marie gasped and closed her eyes as her head dropped backwards, "Oh god..."

"You can just call me Logan, baby."

She giggled as he picked her up and laid her on the bed, where she was soon writhing in pleasure.

An hour later, Logan was trying to convince Marie not to drag him to the outdoor concert he promised to accompany her to, but of course, she succeeded in getting him to get out of bed and get dressed.

The outdoor concert was nice. She and Logan sat on lawn chairs and drank bottles of water while listening to some pretty promising up and coming bands.

Soon, all the water got to Marie and she was in desperate need of a bathroom. She scoffed at the port-o-potties provided at the park, and informed Logan that she would walk a couple of blocks to the convenience store to use the bathroom. When he tried to go with her, she promised she would be fine, and quickly left.

After an uneventful walk to the store, she started to return, but stupidly decided to take a short cut through a back alley that seemed closer to the area where the concert was.

Unfortunately, she didn't realize that the alley dead ended.

When she turned around to head back, but nearly slammed into the broad chest of Sabretooth. She gasped and backed up, instinctively covering the tiny swell of her abdomen, "Oh god..."

He grabbed her arms and looked down into her eyes, "What the hell are you doin' here? I thought you were dead!"

"What are you talkin' about?" she said as he released her. She covered her belly again and took another step away.

"The lab...the explosion."

Marie trembled a little. Logan had told her she joined Magneto for a while, and that she had been working for him when the explosion that returned her memories occurred. It was highly possible that Sabertooth would kill her if he realized she had returned to being Marie.

His eyes slowly roamed over her frame and immediately zeroed in on the hand covering her stomach. He looked up back into her face...then back to her belly, "What the hell is that?"

Marie backed away, "I'm pregnant..."

"Holy shit..."

As soon as he extended his hand to touch her, she jumped. He smirked as he took a hold of her waist, "I do a lot of fucked up things, Stripes...but hurtin' you while you're carryin' my kid ain't gonna be one of 'em."

Marie's mouth dropped open. He couldn't have just said what she thought he said...could he?

He ran a clawed thumb over her cheek as his hand rested on her throat...almost as if he was about to choke her. She was frozen in her spot as he spoke to her, "Why didn't you try to find me? You don't think this is somethin' I deserve to know?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but Logan's roar interrupted her train of thought and forced Sabertooth into action.

Both ferals yelled at her to "get the hell outta here" before they began tumbling down the alley in a flurry of slashes, punches and kicks. Marie rushed toward the nearby store just as patrons were filing out to see what the fuss was about. The shop clerk called 9-1-1, and as soon as Victor heard the sirens, he knocked Logan away and climbed a drain pipe to make his escape on the roofs of buildings.

Logan rushed into the store, grabbed Marie and practically dragged her back to the car a couple of blocks away. When they were safely on their way back to the mansion, Logan glanced at her, "You ok?"

She didn't answer. She simply stared straight ahead, clutching the front of her jacket together for dear life. Logan snapped his fingers, "Marie! Are you alright?"

Marie jumped a little, "Yeah. I think so."

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

She shook her head, "No. I'm...he didn't."

"What the hell was he doin'? What did he want?"

"I dunno..."

He sensed the fear and confusion in her voice, but decided she'd had enough action for today, so he let her be. When they returned to the mansion, he sent her to their room while he talked with Scott, Jean, Storm and the professor about Marie's brush with Sabertooth.

When Marie got to her room, she paced back and forth, panicking over what she'd been told by Sabertooth.

It was common knowledge that she'd spent a few months with the brotherhood, but beyond that...she hadn't been told anything else.

Marie felt the baby flutter inside of her and closed her eyes as she put a hand on her belly. She shook her head and whispered, "It can't be true...it can't be...it can't be true..."

Logan opened the door, "What can't be true?"

She didn't realize that tears were falling down her face until that moment. She sniffled, "I was just...feeling the baby. It can't be true...that I'm gonna be a mom soon...it's unbelievable."

Logan gave her a funny look before closing the door behind him and running a hand through his hair, "Scott doesn't think Victor is still with the Brotherhood. The last couple of problems they've caused have been a bit less...violent than before. When Sabertooth is involved, there's typically a pretty high body count and a lot of gore involved..."

Marie was barely listening, but nevertheless, she felt the distinct feeling of vomit tickling the back of her throat. She rushed to the bathroom and threw up, leaving Logan looking concerned. He stayed rooted in his spot, "Um. You OK?"

When she caught her breath, she called after him, "Yep. Just...pregnancy stuff..."

She closed the door to the bathroom so that she could brush her teeth and wash up, but in reality, she needed a moment to get her head together. There was no way in hell she was going to tell Logan about what Victor had said. For all she knew, the psychopath was lying and was just coming up with another, really sick way of hurting his estranged brother.

Either way, she needed to get it together until she was able to get to the bottom of this whole situation before she uttered a word to Logan.

He was still a little nervous about the baby and she didn't want to make it worse by blurting out, "It's OK! You can stop being scared of fatherhood, cause this baby that you think is yours? Yeah. It's your niece or nephew! Congrats uncle!"

Logan gently knocked on the door, "Darlin', you sure you're alright in there?"

Marie opened the door after she finished brushing her teeth, "Phew. Hormones."

"I'll get you some ginger ale."

She shook her head, "I'm fine. Really."

Logan sighed, "Well, like I was sayin'...we don't think he's with the brotherhood anymore. There's a chance he's gonna try to come after you to get to me."

Marie nodded, "So...what now?"

"We're going to try to get to him before he tries to get to you again."

She bit her bottom lip, "Maybe you and I should just get away for a while? Let's get out of New York."

Logan shook his head, "I don't want us to have to worry about our kid getting hurt by that psychopath. He needs to be handled...now."

* * *

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	20. Chapter 20

**This is going to be a short chapter, but some good stuff happens, so hopefully the length won't bother you that much**.

* * *

Victor had watched Logan drag her to a car, put her in, then speed off.

Up until that moment, Sabertooth's dealings with Logan were little more than a psychotic hobby. Now, his dysfunctional family issues crossed into homicidal jealousy and rage.

Logan had stolen something that Victor wanted...no, Logan had stolen something that **belonged** to him. The baby Rogue carried confirmed that fact.

The time Rogue had spent with Magneto's Brotherhood was brief, but she left quite the impression on the homicidal feral. She wasn't afraid of him...she wasn't afraid of anyone for that matter. The first time they had sex, she nearly killed him.

When they were in bed together, she used her powers like some sort of a sick game. Turning them off and on to weaken him when it served her. Syphoning his energy so that he'd have no choice but to lay there so that she could use him like some sort of sex slave.

Victor had always been the dominant one during sex...even if it was a consensual encounter. The fact that this petite, slip of a girl had managed to render him powerless and practically torture him with her sex for hours on end intrigued and fascinated him.

She became his drug, and even though his encounters with her left him weak and sore, he couldn't stop coming back for more.

Rogue controlled him.  
She controlled everything.

When he got it.  
How he got it.  
...and how long he got it for.

On one particularly horny evening, he barged into her room, demanding sex. When she refused, he grabbed her, roughed her up a little, and threw her on the bed. As soon as a sliver of her naked skin touched his, he felt his life force being sucked away as the bruise on her neck that he'd just given her faded away.

He never tried to force himself on her again. He let her have the control...and to his surprise, it didn't bother him one bit.

Rogue was his...and as far as he was concerned, she could get away with whatever she wanted.

After the lab explosion, he blamed himself.

He was so used to only looking after his own hide in dangerous situations, he didn't check to make sure she was out before fleeing the scene.

Later that night, when he'd regrouped with the rest of the Brotherhood, he realized she was missing.

By the time he made it back to the lab, the authorities had arrived, and, seeing the damage the explosions that she helped plant left behind, he was sure she had died.

Victor had been around death his whole life, and it never phased him...not in the least bit. But when he realized that Rogue had died, it did something to him.

It _hurt_ him...

He quit the Brotherhood and went for a good week without killing anyone.

Then, months later, when he was preparing to head into a bar to drink his night away, he saw a woman who looked just like his Rogue head into a convenience store.

He followed her, hoping to get close enough to catch her scent, but he didn't truly get a whiff until she was in the alley.

She was better than he remembered...and with good reason. She had the glow of pregnancy about her.

Any other woman who had the misfortune of falling pregnant by Victor Creed was doomed to meet an untimely demise at his hands...and that was only if she survived his initial bedding.

But Rogue...the woman who had proven herself to be strong enough to take him on, _deserved_ to have his child. Any offspring by her would be strong, intelligent, and ruthless enough to make a homicidal maniac father proud.

Knowing that his little brother had "taken" her infuriated him, and now, he was ready for blood.

Victor knew there was a chance that Rogue had recovered her memories, and, if that was the case, that would be unfortunate, but he would get his consolation prize...

He would take his child...and raise him or her to be as cunning and brilliant as the Rogue...and as ruthless and maniacal as him.

Victor knew that getting Marie away from Logan wouldn't be an easy task, so, for several days, he brain stormed.

He didn't want to rejoin Magneto. Metal head never did anything unless it was to fuel his ambition to rid the world of humans.

No...he needed someone far more ruthless.

Just hours later, he watched a newscast about the internationally known, violent criminal known only as "Daken" in the law enforcement community. Apparently, his trial for a series of murders in rural Canada was about to start, and he would be traveling to the town to attend.

Victor knew Daken was his nephew. During Marie's tenure with the Brotherhood, she'd told him everything Logan told her about his son, Daken, who used her to get to him. Although, at the time, she didn't remember she and Daken's exploits, she did seem angry that her "former self" would be stupid enough to allow something like that to happen.

Victor remembered grunting at the image of his psychotic family tree in his head.

* * *

Daken was bound and shackled by adamantium chains in the back of an armored truck as a motorcade made its way toward a small town in the Canadian Rockies.

He'd been in federal custody for months now, and none of his attempts to escape had been successful...even when they'd been on the road. They kept him chained like an animal at all times...

Daken felt the truck come to an abrupt halt as federal agents began scrambling about.

Outside, an agent knelt in front of his crippled car, taking note of the shredded tires. His partner held up a crude spike strip, "This was done on purpose! I'm calling for back up."

Before anyone could whip out their walkie talkie, Victor jumped out of the woods and began slashing and stabbing at the men.

With the exception of a few gunshot wounds, he was able to dispose of the mini-army with ease.

He grabbed the keys off of one of the bodies and walked over to the armored car. He opened the door and found Daken sitting there, glaring, "Who the hell are you?"

"Your uncle. Sorry I never remembered to send you a card on your birthday."

Daken smirked, "Victor Creed..."

"In the flesh."

"What do you want?"

Victor motioned toward the carnage he'd created just outside of the vehicle, "What does it look like? I'm helping my favorite nephew out..."

"I would believe you were offering your help free and clear if I was unchained by now...but seeing as how I'm still chained up, I'm guessing you're waiting until we negotiate the terms of my freedom."

The older feral grinned toothily, "Welp, you're smarter than your daddy, I'll give ya that."

Daken's eyes darkened a bit at the mention of Logan, "What do you want from me?"

Victor dangled the keys a bit before leaning in, "I have a certain...interest, in a young woman you knew. I know her as Rogue...you remember her as Marie."

"What do you want with her?"

"In a nutshell, she's of great importance to me...and so is what she carries."

Daken impatiently tugged against his chains, "...and what does that have to do with me?"

"Are you still lookin' to get back at your old man?"

Daken stared at his uncle for a while before smirking and nodding, "I'm in."

* * *

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	21. Chapter 21

Victor waited outside of a motel room as Daken showered and changed into civilian clothes. When the younger feral emerged, Victor motioned him toward a truck, "Come on. I wanna hit Illinois before night fall."

"So, what's with you and Marie?"

Victor climbed into the truck, "After the accident you caused, she woke up with amnesia."

Daken raised his eyebrows as Victor pulled the truck out of the parking lot, "No shit." He gave a little laugh, "She didn't remember Wolverine? That must have killed him."

"It did...but I'm sure her leaving and joining up with the Brotherhood did an even worse number on him."

Daken laughed heartily and slapped his knee, "Wow! I couldn't have planned it better myself!" Victor tightened his grip on the steering wheel as his nephew obliviously rambled on, "Poor Marie...lost her memory. I gotta say...she was a hot little piece of ass-"

Victor slammed on the brakes and reached over to grab Daken by the neck. In response, the younger feral released his bone claws on his right hand and tried to stab Victor, but he was too quick. He grabbed Daken's wrist and slammed it against the passenger window cracking it, "You're slow...like your old man."

Daken snarled, "What's your problem?"

"Don't you fuckin' insult the mother of my kid in my presence, ya got me?"

Daken's eyes widened as Victor slowly removed his clawed hand from his neck, "Marie...Marie's having your baby?"

Victor smirked, "When she joined the Brotherhood...she and I had a thing."

"Then what?"

"Then there was an explosion, I thought she died, and months later, I saw her...with Logan. She was pregnant...probably about 5 or 6 months. That timeframe would mean that it's mine."

Daken cleared his throat, "If you don't mind me asking...what's with your obsession with her? She seems a bit too sweet for you."

"Marie was. Rogue wasn't. Rogue is who I knew...that's who I mated...and she has more power and strength in her pinkie finger than you and I have in our entire bodies. Rogue is the only being...male, female, mutant or human, that has and will ever bring me to my damn knees...and I ain't afraid to admit it."

Daken sighed, "Hard to believe the Rogue you knew is the Marie I knew."

"Yeah...well, I get it. Most ferals have two sides...the animal, and the human. Jimmy-your dad-gives into his human side more...makes him weak."

"So...you're sayin' we're both animals?"

Victor smirked, "No. We just don't allow our humanity to get in the way."

* * *

"This is so cute! Logan! Isn't this cute?"

"Mmhm", he murmured without bothering to tear his eyes away from the television.

Marie noted his disinterest as she tossed the onesie onto the bed and sighed, "Don't you love baby clothes?"

"Yup", he answered quickly as he leaned closer to the television, getting more involved in the game he was watching.

"You mind if I buy one of those diamond encrusted pacifiers?"

Logan nodded as he blindly took his wallet out of his pocket and handed it to her, all while still staring at the television, "Sure...cash is in there."

Marie stepped forward and took the wallet, "How about I strip down to my undies and sell myself on the street?"

He patted her on the ass, "Whatever makes you happy, darlin'."

She scoffed and spun around to stomp out of the room. Just as she got to the door, Logan stopped her, "Oh...Marie?"

When she turned around to look at him, she realized he'd FINALLY tore his eyes away from the tv, "What?"

"Don't forget to get the money up front", he said with a smirk and a wink.

She rushed over to him and punched him in the arm as he cowered against her playful assault, "Alright! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"You suck", she whined as he pulled her onto his lap.

He kissed her neck and smirked, "...and I lick...and kiss..."

Marie's smile fell as she sighed and slowly moved her neck away from his lips, "I want you to be excited about this baby..."

Logan's kisses stilled as she felt him freeze. He cleared his throat and slowly moved his head back to look into her eyes, "I told you...I'm tryin'. You just gotta gimme some time-"

Marie rolled her eyes as she stood up, "Time." She ran a hand through her hair and walked over to the window, "You've had a few months...and we seem like we're at square one..."

He didn't know what to say. He had no excuse. He knew full well that he hadn't been trying as hard as he should have to get involved in the whole baby business, but something was holding him back from being happy about this whole thing. Something was keeping him from bonding with the baby...

She crossed her arms as she stared out over the lawn, "Look, I know you weren't exactly on board with this baby thing...and I know you want to support my decision, but I didn't realize how much your lack of participation and involvement would affect me. I appreciate you're happy for ME...but what about you?"

"What about me, Marie?" he asked quietly, unwilling to meet her eyes when she turned to look at him.

She walked over to him and gently took his face in her hands before kissing his lips, then taking his hand and placing it against her belly, "You're gonna be a father...this baby is a part of you...doesn't that make you feel something...anything?"

Logan looked into her eyes for a moment before allowing his hand to drop from her belly, "I love you, Marie..."

She expected him to say more, but all he did was kiss her cheek and walk out of the room.

* * *

Several evenings later, Daken and Victor were parked in a truck just across the street from the mansion's property.

Daken handed Victor his binoculars, "There...third floor, four windows from the left...that was her room when I lived there."

Victor took the binoculars and searched out the window. He found it just in time to see Marie sipping from a cup. He watched as she set the cup down and pulled her hair up into a ponytail before she stopped in front of her full length mirror to run a hand down her belly.

Victor smirked, "Perfect..."

Daken cleared his throat, "So...what's the plan?"

"We can't go in there, we have to wait until the next time she leaves the mansion."

Daken nodded, "Then, I grab her-"

Victor growled, "You, are not to touch her...I want her and my kid healthy. You get your revenge by telling Logan that this kid is mine...before you kill him."

"Fine. Seems like a fair enough trade."

Their opportunity came the next day, when Logan and Marie took a trip to the mall. She'd finally convinced him that she needed maternity clothes, and he had decided to muster up the bravery to accompany a hormonal pregnant woman on a trip to try-on clothes.

When they reached the mall, Logan sat in the waiting room of the dressing rooms for a few minutes before finally standing, "Hey, darlin'...I'm gonna go check out the electronics store just across the way...be back soon."

"OK!" she hollered from behind the door.

As soon as he left, Victor took his opportunity to slip into the store. Luckily, the mall held so many scents that it would be difficult for Logan to detect his.

While Logan was checking out big screen televisions, he could have sworn he spotted Daken in the crowd of passersby just outside of the window.

He quickly exited the store and began pursuing the Daken look alike through the mall.

Meanwhile, in the dressing room, Marie had just tried on a dress. She heard a soft knock on the door, "Logan, is that you? Tell me what you think of this dress."

As soon as she opened the door, she gasped, but a large, clawed hand covering her mouth prevented further sound from escaping. Victor backed her further into the dressing room and shut the door behind them.

"I think the dress looks good, Rogue..."

He could see that her eyes were filled with panic and fear, so he decided to be kind enough to eliminate at least one of her fears right up front, "Don't worry, babe...I'm not gonna hurt you or the baby...as long as you cooperate. Now I'm gonna move my hand...and you're not gonna scream. You're gonna walk outta here, with me. Calmly and quietly. Got it?" Marie nodded. Victor smirked, "First, I wanna watch you get changed back into your clothes."

Marie shuddered in fear and disgust, but managed to get changed in record time.

Victor escorted her out of the back entrance of the mall without raising a single eyebrow.

Just as Victor was putting Marie in his truck, Daken had managed to lead Logan on a wild goose chase through the mall to an empty loading dock. When the door closed behind him, he spotted Daken standing directly in front of a dumpster.

"What the fuck are you doin' out of federal custody?"

Daken smirked, "What's the matter dad? Not happy to see me?"

Logan raised his fist as his adamantium claws slowly slid out, "I've tried talkin' to you, kid. You hurt the woman I love...and you tried to kill me. I wanted you to live...to face justice, but now I realize that I'm gonna have to kill you."

"The woman you love...how is she, by the way? I hear she's in the family way..."

Logan growled, "Don't you fuckin' even think her name."

"What? Marie? Or is it Rogue...as she was so fondly known when she was with the Brotherhood. Yeah. I think it was Rogue...at least that's what Uncle Victor says."

"Shut up!"

Daken released his own claws as he slowly began marching forward, "Uncle Victor said he got to know her pretty well when she was with them...come to find out, that sweet little pussy of hers is something all three of us have in common. Newsflash, pops...I'm gonna be an only child...but at least I'll gain a cousin."

"Nooooooooo!"

All Logan could see was red and all he could hear was the rushing of blood in his own ears as he leapt at his son.

* * *

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	22. Chapter 22

Daken's lack of discipline and inexperience turned out to be his ultimate undoing. Despite it being a hard fight, Logan was able to gain the upper hand and kill the younger feral.

Logan stood, panting over his son's body and his nearby freshly decapitated head as his last words rang in his head.

_"Uncle Victor said he got to know her pretty well when she was with them...come to find out, that sweet little pussy of hers is something all three of us have in common. Newsflash, pops...I'm gonna be an only child...but at least I'll gain a cousin."_

Logan shook his head as he rushed back into the mall and pushed through the afternoon crowds to get back to the maternity store.

When he rushed in, he made a beeline for the dressing rooms, scaring the hell out of a pregnant lady in the process. He breathed out an apology and backed out, desperately seeking out a sales lady.

"Uh...miss? Did you see the woman I was in here with? She had a white stripe in her hair, was wearing a green shirt and jeans."

The woman shook her head, "Sorry, I didn't see her leave..."

Logan cursed and turned to walk out of the store as he took out his phone and dialed Marie's number. As soon as he heard the familiar *click* of someone answering, he breathed out, "Marie...where the hell are ya, babe?"

His relief was short lived when, instead of hearing Marie's soft voice, he heard Victor's gravelly tone, "Marie can't talk right now, Jimmy...she's a little...tied up."

"If you hurt her, I swear I'll-"

"Now why the hell would I hurt the woman who's carrying my baby?" Victor chuckled in response to Logan's stunned silence, "I can guess that, by your silence, you know it's true. You knew it wasn't yours...deep down...you've always known it, haven't you?"

Logan allowed himself to feel defeated for a split second before growling into the phone, "If you hurt her...or MY kid, I will not only kill you, but I'll make sure it's slow and painful...ya got me? I'm not gonna just slice your head off like I did Daken."

"Game on, Jimmy...game on", said Victor before hanging up.

* * *

Victor had been driving for over two hours by the time Marie found the courage to speak, "Why did you kidnap me?"

"You're carryin' my kid. I have rights to you...both of you."

Marie closed her eyes and looked down at her bound wrists, "What are you gonna do to us?"

He furrowed his eyebrows, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't animals like you eat your young?"

Victor's grip on the steering wheel tightened, causing the leather squeak in protest. Marie fought the urge to cower in her seat as he stifled a growl and shifted in his seat, "Rogue knew me...and for the life of me, I don't know how the fuck you two can even exist in the same body sometimes."

"...and I don't know how the fuck I let you near me."

He smirked, "Oh you let me near you AND inside of you...I was on you like white on rice for weeks, Stripes."

"You're disgusting..."

Victor sighed, "Don't worry. I'll fix how you think of me."

"Short of a personality transplant, I think that's impossible."

"Funny you say that, cause that's exactly what I have in mind."

A sickening feeling of dread swept over her, "What do you mean?"

"I know a telepath that might be able to help bring Rogue back."

* * *

Logan sat with his head in his hands as Jean, Scott, Storm and the professor discussed strategy and how to get Rogue back. The professor had tried Cerebro, but Marie's panicked train of thought had kept them from getting a firm lock on her location. All they knew is that they were heading north.

"What would Victor want from her?"

"Why would he take her alive?"

Logan sighed and looked up, "He wants Rogue...and he wants his child."

The chattering in the room immediately ceased as all eyes fell to him. The professor furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

He shook his head, "I think that, while Marie was in with the Brotherhood, she had a thing with Sabertooth, only he knew her as Rogue. I think, in his own sick way, he fell in love with her...and now he's convinced that the baby she's carrying is his."

"Is it?" asked Storm as she took a slow step forward.

Logan turned his eyes up to look into their expectant faces, "I dunno...maybe...I guess."

The professor released a deep breath, "Oh dear..." A moment of silence passed before he sighed and looked at the rest of the team members, "Would you all please give Logan and I a moment?"

After everyone obediently filed out, the professor rolled over to Logan, "I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you-"

"No. You can't." Logan snapped, but quickly regained his composure and stood as he raked his hands through his hair. He walked over to the window and put his hands on his waist, "We've been through so damn much to get to a point where we were finally together...and happy...and now she might be carryin' that monsters baby."

"The child isn't the problem. It's your perception of the child. Nature versus nurture. Even if this child is not yours, it will still be your blood...and you and Marie can raise him or her to be a good person. You will love that baby because you love Marie."

Logan closed his eyes and sighed, "...if we can get to her."

* * *

Marie woke up to the Victor dropping a bag of fast food onto her lap, "Eat."

After he removed her binds, she complied, only because she was starving and she knew it was best for the baby if she ate.

Victor smirked, "Glad to see the little bugger is givin' you such an appetite."

Marie rolled her eyes and scarfed down a couple of fries, preferring to remain silent rather than give him the satisfaction of conversation.

Within minutes, they were back on the road.

She stared out the window and sighed, "What if this so-called personality transplant doesn't work?"

"You better pray it does..."

"...or what? You kill me?"

Victor shrugged casually, "I'll wait til the baby is born...then, maybe I'll kill you."

"And you raise a baby all by yourself? Sabertooth up to his elbows in bottles and diapers?"

He sighed, "There are levels I'm willing to stoop to. The kid'll be taken care of..."

"What if she cries and you can't console her? I really would hate to see what happens to a colicky baby in your care. You can't raise her on your own."

"Her?"

Marie opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated. She turned to look out the passenger side window, "I get the feeling...that it's a girl."

"I hope she's like Rogue."

"Why? What's so special about Rogue?"

Victor cleared his throat and glanced at her. He figured that there was no harm in admitting anything to her since, either she wouldn't remember anything, or she would die, so there was no chance his secrets would get out.

"I loved her", he said, sighing.

Marie blinked in shock, "You...you loved Rogue?"

"Yeah. Believe it or not, Stripes...a part of you cared for me too."

"But...why?"

Victor let out a 'hmph' noise, "Well, I guess my unquenchable sexual appetite, obsessive affection and charming disposition did something for you."

Marie shook her head, "No, I mean...why did you fall for me?"

"I fell for Rogue. It's pretty clear that she's not the dominant psyche right now...but she's strong, smart...a little crazy, and not afraid of everything...including me. You...you're still shakin' like a leaf even after I told you I wouldn't hurt you. Rogue woulda already slapped me a couple of times..."

"The thought crossed my mind...trust me."

Victor chuckled, "There might be hope for you yet, Stripes..."

Marie curled up in the seat and closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep so that she could simply avoid the reality that she was stuck in.

Several hours later, they made it to a rich suburb of Montreal. Victor pulled the truck through the ornate gates of a mansion and parked in the circular driveway.

"We're here", he muttered before getting out of the truck and slamming the door.

He walked around the truck and opened the door before taking her elbow and pulling her out. Marie sucked in a breath and grabbed the underside of her belly, "Ouch!"

Victor stopped in his tracks, "What is it?"

Marie clenched her teeth as she rubbed her stomach, "I dunno..."

He picked her up and carried her to the large double doors, kicking them to announce his presence.

A few moments later, a tall, buxom blonde woman in white answered. She took one look at Victor and narrowed her eyes, "This is the one you were telling me about?"

"Emma...she's having pain. Call a doctor."

Victor rushed in and gently placed Marie on a couch as Emma shut the door behind them, "...and where do you expect me to get this doctor from?"

"JUST DO IT!" Victor roared, making Emma and Marie jump simultaneously.

Emma rushed out of the room to conjure up a doctor while Victor stared down at Marie, who was nervously stroking her stomach, "The pain...are you still feeling it?"

"It's more of an ache now..."

She tried not to recoil as Victor reached out and placed a hand on her stomach, "The heart's still beating..."

Emma returned to the room just as Victor straightened, "I found an urgent care center and convinced the on-call doc to pay us a visit by promising him three grand in cash." Victor gave her a look, prompting her to wave at him dismissively, "Oh, don't worry. I'll make him forget about us and the cash after he's done looking her over." Emma turned her eyes to Marie, "So...you're the one with the dormant psyche...fascinating."

A half hour later, Emma led a middle aged man into the room. He introduced himself, then he began asking Marie questions as he examined her. He took out a portable doppler and listened to the baby's heartbeat, then gently began feeling around her stomach, asking if she felt pain.

When she reported nothing more than the dull aching on the underside of her stomach, he smiled, "Nothing to worry about at all. What you're experiencing is round ligament pain and it is simply a sign that your baby is growing and putting weight on muscles that aren't used to carrying a fetus around. The pain might be worst if you've stood up too quickly after sitting down for a long time, and it can range from a sharp, jab of pain to a dull ache that sticks around for hours. Take a luke warm bath, relax..it's normal, if only a bit unpleasant."

Victor let out a sigh of relief as Emma led the doctor out to help him forget about his visit. When she returned, Victor stared Marie down and barely spared Emma a glance as he spoke, "Her room ready?"

"Yup. No phones, painted shut window, toiletries in the bathroom, change of clothes on the bed."

He nodded, "Good. It's late now...you can work on her tomorrow."

Victor led Marie out of the room and up the stairs, "Work on me?"

"Yeah...time for your personality transplant."

"I don't suppose I can try to convince you to just let me be?"

He laughed, "If you feel like wasting your breath, go right ahead."

Victor led her into a room and looked around, "Emma says you got a bathroom in there. I'll be back with some food."

He backed out of the room and closed the door, locking it from the outside.

When he went back downstairs to the kitchen, Emma was in there, sipping a martini. She smirked, "She's cute...a little naive and innocent...but cute."

"I know. That's what I need you to fix."

"About that...there's a chance the procedure might cause some issues for the kid."

Victor furrowed his brows, "What the hell do you mean?"

"Well, I got to ask that doctor a few questions before I screwed his memory up, and he said something about extremely stressful situations, blood pressure getting too high and...whatever, but I've done this before, and, from experience, I can tell you that it causes a lot of stress...like...a lot...so if you're really concerned about that baby, you might wanna wait until she pops...it might even kill her."

* * *

**So, do you think Victor will risk Marie and the baby's life to get his precious Rogue back, or will he wait? **

**Give me your guesses and tell me what you think about this chapter! **


	23. Chapter 23

The room Marie was being kept in was nice...really nice. That wasn't surprising. She was in a mansion, after all...and Victor seemed to be intent on being nice to her as long as he was sure she was carrying his offspring.

She checked the windows, but they were painted completely shut...just like Emma said.

Marie searched around the room for a phone, a weapon...anything, but she found nothing but some changes of clothes, towels, and a toiletry kit that included a travel toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner and soap.

She didn't even have a blow dryer.

Victor had been planning this for a while.

Marie heard her bedroom door open just as she was stepping out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around her body just as she poked her head out of the bathroom.

Victor stood there next to her bed, where a fresh tray of food lay, "Eat."

She did so slowly as he watched her.

Marie cleared her throat, "Do you have to watch me?"

"Yeah. I do."

She rolled her eyes and popped a grape in her mouth, "When are you gonna bring back your long lost love?"

He crossed his arms, "Things have taken a bit of a complicated turn there...seems Emma thinks it won't be safe for the baby if we do it now." The look on Marie's face must have clearly conveyed her alarm, because Victor smirked, "Don't worry. I wouldn't risk my kid's life. I'm a sick bastard, but what you have in there is mine...and I wouldn't hurt it."

Marie let out a shivering breath and closed her eyes, "What are you gonna do now?"

"We're heading out first thing tomorrow. Emma has a metal headband you're gonna have to wear in order to keep the professor from tracking us down."

She turned away from him as a lone tear streaked down her cheek. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

After a soft sniffle and a quick swipe to dry her tear, she sighed, "I wanna go home."

"Forget about it, Stripes. You're mine now", he growled out before leaving and slamming the door behind him.

That evening, Victor returned to her room with the metal headband. He put it on her himself, then began walking to her bathroom while shedding his clothes.

"What are you doin'?" she asked, looking alarmed.

Victor smirked over his shoulder, "Taking a shower before I go to bed. You don't think I'm gonna sleep in another room so that you can take off that headband and start sending out psychic calls for the professor?"

"How do you know I haven't been doin' it already?"

He started the shower up, "Oh I know you have...but Emma's been blocking you. It takes up too much energy for her to do it 24 hours a day, so now you have a new accessory."

Marie felt like collapsing onto the bed in a fit of tears. That bastard had thought of everything...and now she was trapped, waiting for the day for her child to be born...and for Victor to bury her consciousness and unearth the woman he had grown to love.

She had never felt such an intense mix of emotion before. She both feared and anticipated that day more than words could express.

* * *

When the day came that the processor rolled out of Cerebro and admitted defeat, Logan left the mansion to look for her on his own. He pounded the pavement, searching for possible witnesses, enlisting the help of local law enforcement...doing anything he possibly could to try to find her.

People couldn't just disappear...could they?

According to every cold, dead end he ran into, they could.

He couldn't find them...and neither could the professor. During a phone call to the professor to check to see if he had spotted Marie's psychic signature on Cerebro, Jean answered the phone and informed him that there had been no luck, then "gently suggested" that the reason why the professor was having no luck finding Marie's telepathic signature was because she was no longer "with us".

Logan knew that either meant she thought Marie was dead or that Sabertooth had succeeded in bringing Rogue back as her dominant psyche.

Either way, he growled at her, called her a few choice names, and hung up in her face.

He refused to accept that.

They'd been through too much and known each other for far too long for him to just give up on her. If he had to devote every remaining second of the rest of his miserable existence to finding her, he would. He had nothing else to live for.

* * *

Despite Marie's special headband, Victor thought it best to keep her on the move. They never stayed in one place longer than three weeks, and, for whatever reason, Emma stayed with them.

It wasn't until several weeks into her captivity did she realize that Emma was reaping the financial benefits that came along with Victor's bloodthirsty ways. She would scope out rich men, lure them into compromising situations, then Victor would come in and "clean up", allowing Emma to keep whatever jewels and a bulk of the cash they would acquire off of their victim.

Emma would be able to telepathically lift pin numbers, bank account numbers and addresses of second and third homes.

This plan gifted them with an endless amount of resources and the ability to stay on the move while keeping Marie safe and comfortable...well, as safe and comfortable as a pregnant prisoner could be.

Marie had tried to run once. It was during a pit stop at a gas station when Victor went to the restroom, leaving Emma to pump the gas as Marie "slept" in the backseat.

Realizing her chance, she yanked off the headband, hopped out of the car and began rushing away.

Emma used her telepathic manipulations to force Marie to stop, turn around and get right back into the car.

Luckily, the bloody trail Victor and Emma painted across Canada and the US caught the attention of Mark MacTaggert, Logan and the professor's contact at the FBI.

When he called the professor, Charles immediately asked Mark to call Logan with the information about the killings.

Logan was somewhere in Minnesota when Mark called him on his cell.

"Yeah?" he answered groggily.

"Logan? It's Mark...MacTaggert. The professor told me you might be interested in some information I have. Am I catching you at a bad time?"

Logan sat up on the bed as the old, creaky motel mattress squeaked in protest as he shifted his substantial weight on its surface.

"Mark...hey, no I'm just waking up. What's up?"

Mark cleared his throat as Logan heard the shuffling of papers, "Well, the professor told me you guys were looking for someone...a Victor "Sabertooth" Creed..."

Logan grumbled, "Unfortunately."

Mark continued, "We've been tracking a new string of killings throughout the country. We've had several older, very rich men murdered...but the way they were murdered is what's really raised eyebrows."

"What makes you think it's suspicious?"

"Well, the murders initially resemble animal maulings and...sizable amounts of money disappear from the victims bank accounts around the time of death."

Logan jumped up and began moving around the room, collecting his belongings as he pinched the phone between his cheek and shoulder, "Where was the last murder?"

"Uhhh...looks like it was some rich country music producer in Nashville."

Logan closed his eyes and breathed out, "Have you guys checked out his house?"

"Clear."

"You said he was rich. What about vacation homes?"

There was a long moment of silence before Mark spoke again, "We...uh...didn't think about that."

"I'm heading south. Find out if your victim has any other homes, and get back to me. I'm heading toward Nashville right now."

After hitting the road once again, Logan called the professor and told them to gather the team and head toward Tennessee.

* * *

Marie was now 38 weeks pregnant and fearful that she was ready to pop. She'd been experiencing false labor for over a week off and on, but she refused to utter a word to Victor.

They were presently squatting in Victor and Emma's latest victim's luxurious cabin deep in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

The place was gorgeous and comfortable, but Marie was unable to admire the scenery, with the birth of her baby possible at virtually any minute.

One morning, in particular, she woke up with an unshakeable pain in her back. As usual, Victor slept in bed with her, to ensure her headband stayed in place, and to randomly cop a feel.

She sat up and put a hand on the side of her belly as she breathed out. Victor immediately sat up, "What's wrong?"

Marie quickly covered, "Nothing. Just a big kick, that's all..."

She moved out of the bed and entered the bathroom, where she let out another breath and felt her belly. It was tight...from what she'd read in the past, she knew that meant she was probably in the middle a a contraction.

Luckily, the pain soon faded and she was granted a short, 8 minute reprieve until the next one hit.

She stayed quiet at breakfast, desperately trying not to reveal the fact that she as in labor to her captors. Victor didn't think it was odd when Marie went right back to her room after breakfast, since she spent most of her time trying to avoid him already.

Marie breathed out as she leaned against the footboard of her bed, praying to god that the pain of her labor wouldn't get much worse.

* * *

**Review please! I know I had to speed time up, but I'm trying to maximize drama, so, it had to be done!**


	24. Chapter 24

Logan answered his phone as he sped down the highway, "MacTaggert?"

"Logan. Turns out our last victim does own a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. I'm texting you the address right now." Mark lowered his voice, "Now, since I know that you guys are familiar with this particular perp, I'll let you get first dibs...but I will have to let my agents know about this."

"Guaranteed there won't be much of a perp left after I get through with him. Look, do me a favor and call the professor...give him the address so he can forward it to the team."

Mark let out a breath, "I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me."

"He has a hostage...she's pregnant...and she's someone I care about a lot."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before Mark spoke up again, "I'll give you guys an hour head start to do what you need to with this guy...then my agents have to come in. If it's found out that I let outside sources in on information vital to a major case involving a serial killer, I could end up with criminal charges myself. I hope you understand."

"I do. Thanks."

* * *

Marie had been in labor all day.

By now, her contractions were only three minutes apart, and she was working hard to muffle her whimpers of pain.

She jumped slightly when Victor walked into her room. She was laying on the bed, trying not to writhe in pain as he looked at her, "Dinner's ready. Come on."

Marie stood and breathed out, "Ya know...I think I'm gonna turn in early."

"Don't be stupid, Stripes. That kid'll be here any day. You need to eat...store up some energy."

She bit down on her lip as another contraction hit, almost stealing away her ability to remain upright, "Uh...I'm really not hungry."

He cocked his head to the side, "What's wrong with you?"

When the pain prevented her from answering, Victor knew exactly what was going on. He called Emma as he helped Marie back to the bed.

Just as Emma walked in, Marie's water broke.

Victor smirked, "Damn, Stripes. You've been at this for a few hours already, huh?"

"Shut up you fucking psychotic asshole! You son of a bitch! I promise to God I will kill you before this is over!"

He ignored her tirade and turned to Emma, who was snatching towels out of the nearby closet and handing them off to him, "It's probably not long now, right?"

"How the hell should I know? I'm not exactly trained in midwifery!"

Marie clutched her pillow tight as she cried out through the contraction. Victor straightened for a moment and glanced toward the door. Emma noticed his look, "What?"

"I hear something. Stay with her", he said cryptically as he walked out of the room.

Marie breathed out and sighed, "Go away, Emma..."

"Trust me...I want to, but that psychotic asshole is making sure that I don't have to get my hands dirty while I build my fortune."

Just as another contraction hit, Marie reached out and grabbed Emma's wrist. Unfortunately for the telepath, Marie was unable to control her powers due to the intense pain of her labor.

Marie had refrained from using her powers during her pregnancy for fear that she would suck the life out of her baby the same way she would everyone else she touched when her powers were activated.

Marie fought hard to regain control of her powers, but not before Emma weakened and convulsed before crumpling to the floor in an unconscious heap. Marie shook her head as she heard faint traces of Victor's thoughts nearby. As the pain of her contraction wore down, she struggled to her feet and looked out the door.

She didn't see Victor, so she quickly crept out, then headed toward the door.

Marie didn't stop to wonder where the hell Victor was, or where she was going as she ventured out into the nearby woods, praying that she was heading toward the road.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the woods, Logan was leaping out of the trees and tackling Victor to the ground.

The two ferals tumbled in the woods for several feed before Victor landed on top of Logan and buried his claws in his shoulder, "You've got pretty good timing, Jimmy...she went into labor today."

Logan growled, "Where is she?"

Victor twisted his claws slightly, "She's safe. Rest easy knowing that before you die."

He started to raise his other claw to slash Logan's neck, but instead, Logan intercepted his hand with his claws, then kicked Victor off of him. Logan slashed Victor across the neck, then took advantage of his disorientation by stabbing him in the gut and knocking him to the ground.

A couple of miles away, Marie was unable to continue her escape through the woods due to an intense pressure that made her feel the need to push. She stopped and lowered herself to to the ground, "Oh god...oh god...this can't be happening...not yet...not now!"

Logan had practically sliced Victor in half to end the fight.

As he stood, panting over Victor's bloodied body, he wondered if he should cut his head off for good measure, but a loud scream prompted him to begin running in Marie's direction.

He rushed through the woods, leaping over fallen branches and hopping over rocks as he made his way toward the screaming.

Logan made his way toward a clearing and stopped before slowly scanning the area for signs of Marie. He spotted her on the ground several yards away and rushed over to her. She was sweating heavily and was definitely in pain, "Logan! The baby's coming! I can't hold on! I can't...I can't..."

He quickly cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes before moving between her legs, "It's OK, darlin'...I'm here now. It'll be alright. I promise." His eyes widened as he looked down, "Whoa...it's...it's right there-"

"YA THINK?"

"Alright, baby...just push when you need to. Listen to your body."

Marie bore down with all her might, then fell backwards when she stopped. Logan nodded and reached down to try to help coax the baby out, "The head is out...come on...another one."

Marie screamed as she pushed and felt Logan help free the baby's shoulder's from her body, then easily pull the rest of the baby from her. She collapsed backwards and panted.

She was almost too exhausted to realize how quiet everything was.

Logan quickly yanked off his shirt and wrapped it around the baby as he began vigorously massaging its back, "Come on...come on..."

"Why is it quiet? Logan? Logan...why is it so quiet?"

Before Logan could reply, the baby began crying. He let out a sigh of relief as he cradled the baby close, "It's a boy...it's a boy, darlin'...you did it."

Marie slowly reached for him as Logan laid the tiny bundle in her arms, "You're ok...you're ok..."

Logan heard Hank's voice calling his name and quickly stood up to yell to him, "We're here!"

Within a few seconds, Hank was there, along with Jean, and they were able to cut the cord, deliver the placenta, and prep Marie and the baby for transport to the jet.

The next several hours were a blur, but it ended with Marie and her newborn son safe in the mansion. A flurry of activity surrounded her, with Hank and Jean checking her and the baby out, and Mark coming by with a couple of agents to officially question her

When things finally died down, he stood outside of her door, staring at it. He was about to knock when Hank opened the door, holding his doctor's bag and wearing his stethoscope around his neck, "Logan. Hello."

"Hey-"

"Logan?" he heard Marie call from inside the room.

Hank smiled and stepped aside, allowing him access into the room.

When he entered the room, he saw her sitting up, cradling the baby in her arms.

He slowly ventured toward her and sat down on the side of the bed next to her, "Hey."

Marie smiled softly, "Hi..."

There was a long, comfortable moment of silence before Logan reached out to stroke her cheek, "You're more beautiful than ever, kid..."

Marie leaned into his touch as she closed her eyes and allowed a tear to slide down her face, "I didn't think I would ever get to see you again."

Logan wiped the tear away with his thumb and scooted forward a little bit as he shushed her, "Hey...no tears...you're here now. You're safe."

She nodded before looking down at the sleeping baby in her arms, "He's beautiful...isn't he?"

Despite the fact that Logan had delivered the baby, he hadn't gotten a chance to actually get a good look at the little guy since he had been covered in blood and gunk during their initial meeting.

Marie gently pushed the blanket out of the little boy's face to show Logan his tiny little features. He was beautiful. Clearly, he had Marie's button nose and pouty lips.

Logan nodded, "He's...he is beautiful."

She bit her bottom lip and looked down before looking up again, "I know that, if this baby is Victor's-"

Logan raised a hand, "He's not."

Before Marie could say anymore, Logan slowly reached over and took the baby out of her arms as he cradled him against his own chest and stroked his head, "Hey, bub...you and I didn't really get to talk earlier cause you decided to be kind of a pain in the ass and get delivered in the middle of the woods...but uh...I guess it's time for introductions. You've met your mom...she's the pretty one with the boobs...and Hank, the blue furball...and Jean, the redheaded b-lady...and me...finally, you get to officially meet me. I'm your dad, kiddo..." Marie smiled as tears rolled down her face. She covered her mouth to muffle a couple of sobs as Logan gently rocked the baby, "You need a name...don't ya, kiddo? You look like a trouble maker already..."

Marie sniffled and wiped at her eyes, "I haven't had time to think of a name."

"What about...Blade?"

She raised a brow, "What about Scott?"

Logan looked horrified, "Why would you even say somethin' like that?"

"Throw out another suggestion like 'Blade' and that's what his name will be."

He rolled his eyes, "Fine. Whatever."

They thought for a few moments before Logan smiled down at the little baby, "I got it..." Logan looked down at the baby and smiled, "Ben."

"Ben", Marie repeated as she slowly nodded.

"What do you think?"

She sat forward and gently pulled the blanket away from her son's face, "I like it."

* * *

Logan had insisted to Marie that he was fine with simply assuming that Ben was his son, but Marie felt that Logan was having a hard time bonding with the baby without knowing, so she arranged for Hank to perform a paternity test.

Hank told them it would take a couple of weeks, so the night before the test results were scheduled to come back, Logan woke up in the middle of the night to stare down at the infant. He was sleeping peacefully, with his tiny fists balled up next to his face

Logan sighed, "Either way, we're family, kid...and, no matter what, you're gonna be better than your father...whether it's me or Victor. You're gonna be smarter...kinder...more giving. I promise I'll spend every day of the rest of my life making sure you turn out to be a good person."

The next morning, Marie and Logan were sitting in the med lab with Ben when Hank entered, holding an envelope. He pulled the piece of paper containing the test results out and started to speak, but Logan stopped him.

"Wait a sec, Hank."

Marie looked at him confusedly, "What is it?"

"Look, kid...before he tells us anything...I want to promise you that, no matter what, I'll be there for both of you. This doesn't change anything. Those test results don't matter. We've wasted enough time with the wrong people and making the wrong decisions, and I finally realized that this is where I wanna be...through thick and thin."

Marie smiled and gently cupped his face, "I know, baby...and I love you for that...but you ever realize that maybe I need to know? If Victor is Ben's father, that's something that I feel the need to confront and cope with."

Hank cleared his throat, "Shall I proceed?"

They both turned back to him and nodded, "Please."

"Well, Logan. I do hope you have some cigars handy...because...you're a father."

**The End**

* * *

**Review please! I hope you enjoyed this!  
**


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